The Black Hitokiri's Revenge
by Saja Natalia
Summary: Shishio visits Sojiro and Kenshin in a dream, and bestows upon them a gift. Now Kenshin and Sojiro must find a way to break the curse set upon them by the enraged exhitokiri.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Young man."

Seta Sojiro looked up from the small meal he was eating to see who had addressed him. The man standing before him was obviously rich, dressed in crisp western styled clothing, the dark color contrasting with that of the cream colored walls of the restaurant. His mustache was brown and slightly upturned, in contrast to his bald head. "Yes?"

"May we speak?" The man seemed flustered about something.

"Oh, yes. Come, sit down, if you would," Sojiro instructed. The man made him suspicious, and seemed to trigger something in the deep bowls of his memory, but he dismissed this feeling. The man only wished to talk.

"How long have you been in town? From the looks of it, you aren't from around here, and I know outsiders are rarely welcome in these parts. If you haven't had trouble yet, you soon will," The man informed.

"Oh, not for longer than a day," Sojiro replied, wary of the words he used. The man's question made him uneasy. "I don't expect to have trouble, though. I travel constantly. I am a poor man and can't afford to stay anywhere too long. Oh!" Sojiro turned away to get the cloth napkin he had dropped before returning to the man.

"Well then, if you don't mind me asking, what's your hometown? I doubt that it is anywhere near here."

Sojiro chewed his food carefully. "I'm from Kyoto. I've lived there for most of my life, but some….happenings made me think it better to wander. Now, if you will excuse me, I must be on my way." Sojiro stood, grateful to leave this man behind, and left the yen he owed for the meal on the table.

The man watched Sojiro go, and as he did his eyes fell to the sword tied at the boy's waist. A slight smiled played the man's lips as he watched Sojiro exit.

Kenshin stared into the washtub, wishing the suds would wash his sins away like they did the stains on the clothes he scrubbed. Perhaps if he scrubbed harder, then the sins would be less obvious. Thoughts as these haunted him every waking moment, but normally not when washing clothing. This was his relaxing way to spend the day. Why did it have to be filled with thoughts of the Bakumatsu as well?

As the thoughts passed through Kenshin's mind, a scream ripped through the air. In one fluent movement, Kenshin jumped to his feet, drew his sakabato, and ran towards the dojo.

He burst through the doors, kicking off his shoes as he did. Standing inside the dojo was a man dressed in a black hakama and red kimono, sword drawn. He had long black hair that fell down his back and on his shoulders. Sanosuke and Yahiko faced him, ready for a fight. As Yahiko saw Kenshin enter the doors, he motioned for Kenshin to take a look at the man. Looking closer, Kenshin saw that the man was not alone; he had a hostage.

Kaoru.

_Stay calm, Kenshin. You can do this without using _his _help, _the rurouni side of Kenshin told him.

_You wanna bet? _

_Oh, great. Now he's here. Battosai, this one thought he told you to stay out of stuff like this ten years ago. _

_Well, it didn't work too well, then, did it, rurouni, because here I am. Come on, this guy's got Kaoru. Rip him to shreds._

Shaking his head to clear it, Kenshin ran forward at full speed. The man pressed the blade he had against Kaoru's neck harder so that a drop of blood rolled down it, and Kenshin immediately stopped.

_Oh, good going, Battosai. You hurt Kaoru-dono!_

_Shut up._

"There, much better," the man said. "We wouldn't want to hurt this poor little girl, would we?" When no one answered, he went on. "I thought not."

"Who the hell are you?" Sano yelled across the room. "What do you have against Jou-chan?"

"'Jou-chan?' Oh, that's so cute. As for me, I am no one of consequence. You will find my name when I carve it into your corpses." The man pressed the katana down harder.

In that instant, Kenshin seemed to disappear, only to reappear at the man's side, aiming a blow for his right shoulder. The man howled in pain, and Kaoru slipped from his grasp. Kenshin ran over, catching her before her head hit the ground.

Once quickly examined, it was evident that she was unconscious. Kenshin laid her against the wall gently and turned to the man now fighting Sanosuke and Yahiko. He seemed to sense Kenshin's gaze, as he turned to return it.

_All right, rurouni, now she's hurt. I'll take him down personally._

_You mustn't! Let this one take care of-_

_No._

As soon as the man made eye contact, he winced visibly and looked away from the blazing heat of the legendary Hitokiri Battosai's golden stare. Turning to look at Sanosuke once more, he tried to ignore Battosai as he crept closer.

"Kenshin! Is Kaoru alright?" Yahiko asked, seeing that Kenshin was moving towards them.

"She's fine, which is more than I can say for this man," Battosai responded, eyes on the man in red and black. Yahiko noticed the gold in Kenshin's eyes and stepped back from the man, motioning for Sano to do the same. He reluctantly obeyed.

"So, you think you're a match for me?" the man in red asked. He returned Battosai's stare as fiercely as he could and dropped into a fighting position.

"I have no doubt about it," Battosai replied, taking off at a run towards the man. He attacked, but the man easily parried and flipped over Battosai's head. Unfortunately, this left Battosai nowhere to go but a corner.

The man attacked with a flurry of multiple blows, making Battosai go defensive. Battosai flew backwards into the wall, jumping and landing the Ryutsui, followed by the Kuzu-Ryusen, smashing the man into the ground hard. He was left bloody in a corner, facing Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Battosai.

"You stand no chance," Battosai informed the man.

_Come on, Battosai! You took him down, now let this one take control._

_Fine._

Battosai's golden glare faded to a purple gaze. "This one has defeated you, now lay down your sword." Yahiko and Sanosuke moved in closer so the man couldn't escape.

"Yes, I do suppose I must." The man presented his sword, but instead of letting Kenshin take it, he flung it at Yahiko. Out of reflex, Yahiko blocked with his right arm, and accidentally lost his grip on his Shinai, which went flying through the air and landed a few feet from them.

This momentary distraction was enough for the man to take off at a run, Kenshin and Sanosuke pursuing him. Just as Kenshin moved to lunge at the man, Sanosuke aimed a kick at the foe's head. Only in doing so, Sanosuke slipped on the Shinai and missed.

He kicked Kenshin in the head.

Hard.

Kenshin fell back, and all was black.

Sojiro sat next to a river, in the shade of the bridge. The water sparkled as he recalled his conversation with the bald man. Why had he wanted to know so much? To everyone who didn't know better, Sojiro looked like a young boy in search of perhaps a woman or something. Nothing suspicious.

So why had the man wanted to interrogate him?

Sojiro sat in silence for a while, starring into the river. He wished the current could wash him away from this town and the suspicious man.

After a while, Sojiro's mind started to fog, perhaps of fatigue. In a moment, however, he realized it wasn't exhaustion.

_Damn that man! _Sojiro thought in his foggy mind.

_Damn him! I fell for it! He drugged me and I fell for it!_

_Damn him!_

All went dark.

"_Look at him. He's so helpless now."_

"_Yes, but he does look peaceful. And a bit handsome."_

_Kenshin sat up and looked around. Mounds of bones greeted his gaze, and on top of the tallest one were three figures. Shishio, Yumi, and Hoji looked down upon him. _

"_What is this magic?" Kenshin asked, standing and reaching for his sakabato, only it wasn't there. He was completely unarmed against one of his greatest foes._

_A crunching sound to his left caught his attention, and Kenshin turned to see another figure appear. There was Seta Sojiro, unarmed as well._

"_Oh, well look who's decided to finally join us," Shishio remarked, spotting Sojiro. "It's the traitor and the white Hitokiri." Yumi and Hoji laughed._

_Sojiro gazed up at Shishio, his eyes shining. "Are you crying, boy?" Shishio asked, disgusted._

"_No, not at all. Not now, but before, yes. I was crying that night. I meant to tell you that." Sojiro raised his head a bit._

_Kenshin was alarmed to see that the boy wasn't smiling. He had seen him without a smile once, but that was during the fight when he had found his emotions again. This was different. What was wrong?_

"_Yes, I know that. Now, we can't tarry any longer. We have a limited amount of time here. We just wanted you to know who it was who gave you your….present," Shishio laughed. _

"_What do you mean?" Kenshin asked, looking up at Shishio and his cronies. But at that moment, a bright light blinded Kenshin, and he fell back, shielding his eyes._

"_You'll see." The words hung in the air as Kenshin felt himself return to Earth._

"Are you alright?"

Sojiro opened his eyes to behold a halo of light and a blurry figure. He blinked twice, and his vision cleared to reveal a woman, not much younger than himself. She had black hair that was up in a high ponytail, and wore an elegant kimono.

He sat up and looked down. He was on a futon bed, a light cover over his body. His memory was a bit fuzzy, but he remembered a dream about Shishio and of all people Himura Kenshin.

_No, _something told him. _That wasn't a dream. _

Sojiro tore off the covers and stood, alarmed by how the world seemed to be slightly smaller. What had happened? What affect had that drug had on him?

He reached up to his head and was alarmed to feel dried blood. Had he been attacked while unconscious? Sojiro shook his head to clear it.

"Are you sure you're well enough to be out of bed?" a woman dressed as a doctor asked him. She was quite pretty. But what had she called him?

"What did you call me, miss?" Sojiro asked, straining to hear her properly.

"Er, I called you 'Ken-san.' Is there a problem with that?" the woman asked, worried.

Sojiro couldn't believe it. There must be a mistake. But then he saw him. Sitting in the corner, gazing at him intently was the street fighter, Zanza, or Sagara Sanosuke, as he was now called. This was one of the men that had accompanied Kenshin.

Sojiro screamed and ran over to the closest mirror. The face that greeted him was not a carefree teenager, but instead one with long red hair, purple eyes, and a cross-shaped scar on the left cheek.

He was sure he was going to faint. This had to be a dream._ It had to be. _

"What's wrong, Kenshin? Are you all right? Sanosuke kicked you pretty hard. We were worried," the younger girl with the ponytail asked.

_You'll see._

So it hadn't been a dream. Shishio had done something to him and Kenshin. He had switched them. Somehow, he had made them switch bodies.

_Damn him to Hell- wait. Er, damn him. He's already damned, so what do I say? _Sojiro thought exasperatedly.

"Er, Kenshin, are you well? You don't seem to be yourself."

Sojiro rounded on the girl. "What's your name?" he asked.

She looked taken aback. "Kaoru. Kamiya Kaoru. You know that."

Sojiro sighed. "Yes, Kamiya-san, I'm not feeling like myself right now."

He wanted to say, "I'm not Himura-san. I'm Sojiro. Seta Sojiro. Why don't you see that? Shishio cast some sort of spell on Himura-san and me that made us switch places and now we need to find my body so that we can switch back somehow," but he knew if he said this he was bound to be thought insane.

"Whoa, Kenshin. Did you just call Jou-chan 'Kamiya-san?' Wow, I must have kicked you harder than I thought." This was Sagara Sanosuke. He looked a bit flustered, but continued to chew on the fish tail in his mouth.

"Yeah, that's it, Sagara-er-san. I just need to recover a bit. I'm sure if I walk around a bit, I'll be just like normal."

The girl called Kaoru was looking at him with her head cocked to the side. "Why are you saying, 'I'? You aren't still Battosai, are you? Did the kick from Sano trigger your past? Are you all right? Oh, no! Kenshin, you're not turning Battosai on us, are you?"

"No, I-er-this one was just confused." _Damn Himura-san and his dialect. What kind of man speaks in third person anyway? _

"Well, Yahiko ran out for a bite to eat, and he took Tsubame-chan with him. Megumi's been insisting on staying next to you constantly, even after she said there was nothing else she could do and that you'd have to work it out," Kaoru informed him.

Suddenly, a rather painful headache attacked Sojiro, sending him onto the futon, holding his head. Was it just him, or was someone saying his name?

_Sojiro? Sojiro? SOJIRO?_

_WHAT? _The world before him swirled into a mass of color.

_Can you hear? _Someone _was_ talking to him.

_Who are you? _Sojiro thought.

_Himura Kenshin. For some reason, this one can talk to you in his sleep. This one dreams what you are seeing. Kaoru-dono and the others are before you, are they not?_

_I don't know! It's painful to talk to you, and the world's just a blob of color. 'Kaoru-dono' did you call her? Yes, she, Sagara-san, and another woman were here. _

_Sano and Megumi are there? That's what this one thought. Why are they before you, anyway, Sojiro? Where are you?_

_Don't you know? _Sojiro asked, his head feeling like it was about to split. _Look, I can't tell you now. It's too painful to talk to you this way. Just wake up, and that should tell you what's going on._

Somehow, Sojiro broke the link between him and Kenshin, and he fell back into darkness.

-------

Groaning, Kenshin awoke from his sleep. What an odd dream. First he encountered Shishio, and then he could talk to Sojiro telepathically. _Sano must have hit this one harder than one had thought. _

It took Kenshin but a moment to realize that something wasn't right. He wasn't in Kamiya dojo, or anywhere in Tokyo or even Kyoto. He lay beneath a bridge, just like in his old rurouni days. _This one couldn't have been captured, _he thought. _Sano or Yahiko would have stopped it from happening. _

Then what was going on?

Getting to his feet, Kenshin moved forward, crossing the bridge he had been beneath. The sun blinded him temporarily as he emerged. With a quick look around, Kenshin confirmed his suspicion. He had never been here before, and yet he had awoken in this place. Clearly, there was something amiss.

As he walked along, Kenshin tried to find something, _anything _that might give a hint as to where he was, but his search was in vain. Just as he walked down a street, a woman came around a corner and stared at him.

She was fairly pretty, with long, purple hair. She wore a pink kimono and gave Kenshin a look of great curiosity as she neared him. "You're that rurouni, aren't you?" When she talked, she seemed to demand all attention to herself.

"Yes, that this one isHow do you know of this one?" Kenshin asked, inquisitively. He felt a bit uneasy around this woman, although he didn't know why.

"Everyone knows about you. You travel from town to town, carrying a katana even though the sword-banning act is valid out here. It's a wonder you're not in jail!"

"How long has this one been in this town?" Kenshin wondered aloud.

"About three days, if talk is correct. It's funny, but you don't look like a swordsman to me. I expected someone more….mature. No offense, of course," she said, looking him up and down.

Kenshin laughed to himself. _Clearly this one still doesn't look his age. _"If you don't mind the question, what is your name?"

"Oh!" The woman looked surprised. "I'm sorry. I thought I told you already. I'm Isuzu. Hiromasu Isuzu." Isuzu smiled, making her face even more radiant. "And you?"

Kenshin glanced down at the river beside him. _What's going on? How long has this one been here? And _where_ is here? _Sighing, Kenshin turned back to Isuzu. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of himself in the water and nearly screamed. Staring back at him was Seta Sojiro, a terrified expression on his young face.

As Kenshin stepped back, Sojiro followed. Reaching up a hand, Kenshin went to grab for his ponytail, only finding empty space where it should have been. He traced his left cheek, and was worried the most when he felt no scar, or even blemish upon his flesh.

Isuzu watched this, her face betraying her confusion. "Er, rurouni? What are you doing?" she asked, but Kenshin didn't hear her; he was too busy remembering the dream he had had. It was something about Shishio and Sojiro, he knew. At one point Shishio had definitely said something about a "gift." Was this it?

"Er, rurouni? I asked you your name," Isuzu said, obviously startled by Kenshin's lack of focus.

Kenshin could barely hear here. His eyes wouldn't come away from his – Sojiro's reflection. "This one is not sure who he is. Sorry!" And he took off, running down the river, following its current. Kenshin continually looked over at his reflection in the water, always of Sojiro.

Finally, he reached a shop and ducked inside. The interior of the store was filled with pottery, jewelry, and mirrors. Drawing closer to a mirror, Kenshin closed his eyes and breathed deeply. _Ok, Kenshin. Whatever you see in this mirror is truth, no matter how impossible it seems. _He slowly opened his eyes.

And saw Sojiro staring back.

Taking a step back, Kenshin tried to face reality. _Something has happened. Something very, very strange and horrible has happened to this one._

_For once, rurouni, I can't contradict you. Let's find the one responsible and rip him limb from limb._

_But Battosai, the one responsible is already dead._

_Damn._

Shaking his head to clear it, Kenshin stepped from the shop. As he walked, he surveyed his surroundings, trying to figure out his location. He clawed at the back of his mind, trying to remember what Shishio had said, and most importantly, if he had given any way to break this "gift."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

-------

He felt his horribly aching body return to the room in which he had been sitting. Slowly, Sojiro opened his eyes.

Even with just a small light in the room, Sojiro's eyes screamed to be shut. They screamed to block out the light. Sojiro obeyed, slightly aware of someone shaking his body as he sat upon the futon. In the distance, he heard the two women and Sagara-san conversing in worried tones.

"What happened?"

"How is he?"

"Megumi, do something!"

"I-I don't know what happened!"

Sojiro place a hand to his head and pried open his eyes, squinting in the light. "I-This one is fine, although this one doesn't know what hit him."

Sagara-san quickly biffed him over the head. "Well, you'd better not let it happen again." He spit out the fish bone he had been chewing and made a fist with a bandaged right hand.

Sojiro held his hands up in surrender. "Sagara-er-Sano, this one meant no harm." _I'd better start getting used to this dialect; it doesn't seem I'll be getting out of Himura-san's body any time soon. _

It was then that Sojiro noticed the two people standing in the corner. One of them was a boy with spiked black hair and red eyes. Behind him was a girl who seemed somewhat frightened. "Kenshin!" It was the boy that spoke. "Look, I'm sorry! I never meant to let go of my Shinai. It was-" the boy lowered his face. "something a weakling would do."

Sojiro noticed that everyone was staring at him. "Look, er-" Sojiro wracked his brain for the child's name. _Well, Yahiko ran out for a bite to eat, and he took Tsubame-chan with him. _"-Yahiko. It's a mistake many would have made. I won't pretend it was smart, but it's forgivable," Sojiro answered, pretending he knew what the child was talking about.

"No! It's not! If it was a real sword and we had fighting one-on-one, I would be dead. And you! You and Sano would have been dead. Sano would have slit his foot open and the intruder would have won!" Yahiko raised his voice to a yell and stomped his foot, his hands balled into fists at his side.

Painfully, a memory of when Sojiro had been training flashed into his head.

_"Come on!" Shishio yelled at the nine-year-old boy before him. Sojiro was covered in sweat, breathing heavily, one hand clasped around a katana, and a smile upon his lips. Shishio showed him the movement again, moving fluidly, and Sojiro attempted to copy it, unsuccessfully._

_"Wrong! This is one of the easiest moves I can teach you, and you can't even get it right, _Sojiro no baka_!" Sheathing his sword, Shishio began to leave the room. "You will never improve. You will never learn. You are nothing. You will never be anything." _

_"But Shishio-san! I'm trying my best. It's really hard to get this stance down. I'm -" Sojiro never finished._

_"-You are weak. You will always be weak, and you will be devoured by those stronger then you. Now get from my sight!" Shishio turned his back upon Sojiro and left the dojo. _

For a month from then on, Sojiro remembered, he had practiced that one move over and over until he could perform it almost as well as Shishio-san himself.

Looking down, Sojiro studied Yahiko, whose incompetence reminded him strongly of himself. "Look, Yahiko. When this one was younger, one continually failed to complete a stance sensei taught this one. One thought that he would never master it, but look at this one now! Yahiko, you are like this one; you learn by practicing over and over again. Don't be concerned if you don't accomplish something every time you attempt it."

Yahiko stared at him, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "_Arigatoo, _Kenshin." He turned to Kaoru. "So when's dinner?"

"You little brat! You just went out for food! How can you be asking for it again?" Kaoru yelled, and Sojiro turned away from the brewing fight.

"Hey, Kenshin!" Sojiro turned at Sagara-san's voice.

"Huh?"

"You're acting kinda weird, Kenshin. You all right?" Sagara-san asked him, suspicious.

"Oh, yeah. This one is fine. There's nothing to worry about, Sano. You just kicked this one harder than to be expected." Sojiro added a smile to the end of this, trying desperately to mimic Himura-san.

"That's good. Now, on to business. We gotta figure out who it is that attacked Jou-chan. He obviously wanted something, or he wouldn't have bothered using her as a captive," Sagara-san puzzled.

"What happened after this one was knocked unconscious?" Sojiro asked, curious about this fight that Kenshin had fought in.

"He just whacked Yahiko over the head with the back of his hand, and ran for it. I couldn't keep up with him, though. He was pretty fast, and it seemed he knew what he was doing," Sagara-san replied.

"That's odd, but this one thinks it might be more appropriate to talk about this later," Sojiro stated, motioning towards Koaru and Yahiko, who were now quite obviously listening in.

Sagara-san smirked, nodded his head, and turned away. Sighing, Sojiro stepped from the room and looked about outside, only to see nothing of much interest. Turning back towards the room, Sojiro addressed Koaru. "When will we go back to the dojo, Kaoru-dono?" He was glad he remembered what Himura-san had called her.

"Oh! Well, we can go back now, if you'd like, Kenshin. Is that all right, Megumi?" she asked, turning to the doctor.

"Well, if Ken-san wants to go, I won't stop him. He seems to be well enough." She stepped closer to Sojiro. "Just be sure to come visit me."

By this point, Kaoru's face was an amazing shade of red. Sojiro saw that there was a fight brewing and decided to stop it. "This one is sure one shall see you somewhere."

This seemed to please Kaoru, for she left without another word towards Megumi.

-------

Kenshin walked down the street, all too aware of his growling stomach. He checked his person for money, but found none. _Since taking up residence at the Kamiya dojo, this one has gotten spoiled. _

"Hey you!" Kenshin continued to walk down a side street, ignoring the shout in the crowd up on the main road. It probably wasn't even directed towards him.

"You! With the sword!" _Ok, so he means this one. _Turning, Kenshin looked for the one who had called him.

"Oro!"

The man was extremely tall and dressed in a hakama. His chest was bare and with him he carried a katana and a wakizashi. Kenshin noticed he was flanked by four or five others. "You! Little man! What are you doing with a sword in these parts? It's common knowledge the only ones permitted to carry a sword around here are us!"

"And we didn't get that right peacefully, either," one of the men behind him laughed.

"This one meant no harm," Kenshin stated, surveying his surroundings and looking for a means of escape. "One was merely passing through."

The gang laughed. "Passing through, eh?" the leader scoffed. "Well, no matter. You're gonna have to answer to us anyway, you slime!" The man jumped forward and Kenshin stepped back, not wanting to fight with the katana at his side.

_A fight must be avoided at all costs. _

_What're you talking about, rurouni? Use the katana. Come on! They're only street urchins._

The leader of the group had by now drawn his katana and pointed the tip at Kenshin's heart. Kenshin narrowed his eyes at the man. "A fight is not necessary," Kenshin stated firmly.

The leader looked taken aback for a moment. "Not necessary? Ha! You've invaded our territory! Die!" The man brought down his katana fast and hard and Kenshin ran to the side. Unfortunately, he hadn't anticipated the difference in size and weight between his body and Sojiro's and instead of moving only slightly to the side, he had to save himself from going face first into a building.

The gang laughed at Kenshin's clumsiness, and a few of them cheered the leader on.

_In this state, a fight is unavoidable, but this one doesn't know how to use Sojiro's body. _

_Oh, just hack randomly. You'll eventually get someone. _

Turning to face the man, Kenshin drew the katana from its sheath and flipped it upside down. The men in the gang laughed. "He doesn't even know how to hold his own sword!"

The gang leader smirked and made a go for Kenshin's head, only for it to be blocked. The gang leader gawked at how fast Kenshin had moved, but he couldn't gawk for too long, for Kenshin seemed to disappear and reappear behind him.

With a sweeping motion, Kenshin brought the katana down, blunt side first, on the man's skull. He landed the attack gracefully and turned back towards the gang. The leader was now on the ground, a trickle of blood coming from his head.

The gang gaped at Kenshin and, as one, fled to the safety of the main street.

-------

After an interesting dinner, Sojiro stepped into the dojo, content on what he needed to do. Unsheathing the sakabato, Sojiro stepped into the middle of the dojo floor. Within the blink of an eye, he moved into the corner of the dojo, almost unseen.

"Damn." Kenshin's body wasn't as used to running as his, and he moved slower than expected. _How am I supposed to use Shukuchi in this state? _

Stepping forward, Sojiro grasped the sakabato and proceeded to do a series of moves, testing how far Himura-san's body would let him go. Breathing heavily, Sojiro stopped for a few minutes. Kenshin's body was much older than his, restricting his movements and making many of Sojiro's faster moves impossible.

_I wonder, _Sojiro thought. _Let's see how fast this old body can go._

Sojiro decided to start with five steps before Shukuchi. With a lurch, Sojiro ran twice around the dojo and paused, winded. Ignoring this, Sojiro went for four steps before Shukuchi and ran about the dojo once more. This time he dropped to his knees, exhausted, and dripping sweat. _Damn it. I can barely even get four steps before Shukuchi._

"_Chotto!" _Sojiro turned at the voice. It was Sagara-san, who was sitting down, obviously quite comfortable. Only his face betrayed his emotions. "What move was that, Kenshin? It looked a lot like something I've seen before."

"Oh, that!" Sojiro smiled, nervous. "That was God-Speed, Sano. This one uses that all the time, but mostly when this one is Battosai. The goal was to see if this one could access it as rurouni."

The lie seemed to satisfy Sagara-san, and his gaze dropped to the floor. "What were you thinking, Kenshin?" he exclaimed. "Jou-chan's going to kill you!"

Sojiro looked down at the torn up tatami mat and groaned. "What is this one going to tell Koaru?"

"Tell me what, Kenshin?" Kaoru stepped into the dojo, a bokken in her hand. The moment she saw the state of her dojo, she turned upon Kenshin with her bokken. _"What happened?"_

"Heh, well, that's a funny story, Kaoru-ow!" He was whacked soundly in the head by the bokken.

"I would have hit you harder if it wasn't for the fact that you recently had a head injury! You're in for it now!" Kaoru screamed, and Sojiro gulped.

-------

"Rurouni!"

Kenshin turned at the yell only to see Isuzu before him. She was running to catch up with him, and he slowed to a walk.

"Was that you that stood up to the swordsman gang?" When Kenshin nodded she squealed. "Everyone's talking about it. Those guys have been terrorizing every swordsman that's passed through here for years."

"Excuse me, miss, but can this one ask a question of you?" Kenshin asked.

"Oh, sure. I'd be glad to help! What do you need?"

"Which way is it to Tokyo? This one has been traveling for long, and is now quite lost," Kenshin informed her.

"It's to the east from here. Why? What's there?" Isuzu searched his face for an answer.

"This one has friends around that area, and shall be leaving tonight, so this is the last you shall see of this one."

Isuzu looked crushed. "Really? But, can't you come back to visit or something like that? I'd really like to see you again!"

Sadly, Kenshin shook his head. "_Sayonara." _Then he turned and walked off.

-------

A while later, Kenshin was still walking when he heard a scream. "Oro?" He jumped off the path and headed towards the woods where he had heard the scream. The farther in he went, the less sure he was that he had heard a scream from here.

Then, in a clearing, Kenshin caught sight of a woman with a man standing next to her, his sword drawn. Instantly, he recognized them both.

Isuzu was struggling desperately to rid herself of the man, who happened to be the same man that had attacked the Kamiya dojo.

_Let me at him! I'll rip him to shreds! I'll take the bastard to hell and back!_

_Down, Battosai. It's all right. This one has this situation._

_I'll kill him. I will!_

Kenshin stepped into the clearing, drawing Sojiro's katana as he did so. Isuzu took one look at him and screamed, "Rurouni!"

Her cry startled the man, and he turned to look at the intruder. "Just a little whelp," he mumbled. "What are you here for, boy?"

"Let her go." Kenshin's glare was cold as death.

Realization dawned over the man's face as he saw Kenshin's stare. "Hey, you're not from around Tokyo, are you, runt?"

"None of your business. What's your name?" Kenshin was furious, but his rurouni side tried desperately to keep control.

_I'll kill him! I'll rip him apart and eat the pieces!_

_Battosai! Please, do not talk so violently! This one has this situation under control!_

"Seeing as you'll be dead in a matter of seconds, I don't think it'll do any harm to tell you who I am. I'm Katashi. As for you, you're a dead man." With that, Katashi sprang forward, slashing where Kenshin's head would have been, had he not moved at the last second.

"You invaded the Kamiya dojo," Kenshin informed, slashing with the blunt end of the katana. Katashi jumped and dodged the attack.

"So what if I did?" he asked, coming down right on top of Kenshin, and forcing him to block at the last moment.

_Why is he so much better now than when this one fought him at the dojo? _

After a few more narrowly avoided moves, Kenshin finally decided to test his luck. With a start, he ran to the other side of Katashi, delighted by the shocked expression on his face. Twice more, Kenshin ran around Katashi before attacking and slashing his back.

_When in Sojiro's body, act like Sojiro. _

Katashi yelped and spun around, but by the time he had, Kenshin was gone again. Kenshin was delighted by how quickly Sojiro's body moved, letting him get to speeds unthinkable as Kenshin. Isuzu marveled at the disappearance of her hero, looking around to try to find him.

Stopping abruptly, Kenshin called Katashi, and was slightly amused by the confused expression on his face. "Leave here, Katashi. Don't make this one finish you off." To add to the empty threat, Kenshin flipped the katana so the blade was facing out.

Yelping, Katashi took off running through the forest, away from the direction of Tokyo. Isuzu clapped and ran towards Kenshin, wrapping him in an embrace. "Thank you so much, rurouni! I can't think what would have happened if you hadn't showed up!"

Awkwardly, Kenshin freed himself from her. "This one lives to protect those in danger. It was nothing." Turning to leave, Kenshin said, "One is sorry for parting again, but getting to Tokyo is imperative."

"Then take me with you!" Isuzu exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "I've always wanted to see Tokyo, but the roads are really dangerous, so I've never gone. But I'm sure I'd be safe if I went with you! Please? I can't go back home right now, anyway."

_Leave her, rurouni. She's too weak. It'd just be a bother to have to protect her. Besides, she'd slow you down._

_Battosai! You just can't leave her! She's all alone, and besides, she's right. The roads here are dangerous. _

Slowly, Kenshin responded, "You can come with, but you must know that this one has no food, and that it will be tough going."

"I don't mind! Thank you so much, rurouni! I am forever in your debt. May I ask of you just one more thing, though?" Isuzu asked.

"Oro?"

"What is your name? It's awkward to be traveling with someone and to not even know their name. Besides, I asked you earlier, just before you went running off."

Kenshin hesitated, thinking of what name he should give. "It's Sojiro. Seta Sojiro. Now come along. There is far to go today."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

-------

"I still can't believe you'd destroy the dojo, Kenshin."

Yahiko was sitting next to a very sore Sojiro who was rubbing his head. Kaoru's reaction hadn't been what Sojiro had been anticipating, and his aching reminded him of this.

"This one didn't do it on purpose, Yahiko, but merely underestimated the effect of the move." Sojiro smiled weakly.

"Kaoru doesn't seem to think that. She's so-"

Suddenly, Sojiro watched as the world turned black, plunging him into its darkness. The darkness was everywhere, and it seemed to be alive. _What's happening? _Sojiro thought frantically.

_You have come to me. Finally. _The voice was cold and echoed throughout the night.

_Who are you? _

_One you know well. That is of little importance. Look about you and learn. _

Sojiro felt himself turn around. The light from the scene before him blinded him as he looked, but the effect was temporary. Beholding what he saw, Sojiro gasped. _It's…._

-------

Kenshin rested, his body curled up tightly, about five feet from Isuzu. For the first time in a while, he was in a deep sleep, Sojiro's katana pulled close to his chest. His flickering eyes beneath his eyelids were the only sign that he was dreaming.

_Kenshin stood in darkness, silent and foreboding. _

What's happening? _A voice echoed through the black._

You have come to me. Finally.

Who are you? _This one sounded like himself._ It's Sojiro! _he thought._

One you know well. That is of little importance. Look about you and learn.

_A light flashed, and Kenshin was looking up at himself. The other Kenshin stared down at the crumpled Kenshin on the ground, obviously recognizing him as more than Sojiro. The Kenshin standing above smirked, and a transformation began to take place._

_Kenshin watched himself as his scars faded, and his hair grew shorter, until it was pulled up into a high ponytail and his face was unmarked, making his golden eyes stand out._ Battosai.

Did you really think you could trust Isuzu, Kenshin? You're weaker than I thought. Do you not remember your days as Hitokiri Battosai?

_Kenshin shook his head. _It's not that. This one has no reason not to trust her. She has not proven hostile in any way.

Yet. Need she prove that she is?

_Suddenly, Isuzu appeared next to Battosai. She looked frightened, but at the sight of Battosai, her fear turned to anger._

Remember this, for it shall come to pass, Kenshin, _Battosai informed him. _

_With that, Isuzu charged Battosai, a wakizashi in her grasp. Battosai easily avoided her, and struck with his katana, but the blade was blunt, and the blow merely glanced off of her, providing her with the perfect opportunity to strike. The wakizashi pierced Battosai's skin, lodging itself in his chest, just above his heart._

_Kenshin could do nothing but stare in horror as Battosai died before him. _No, _Kenshin thought. _Not Isuzu-dono. No.

If you don't do something, this shall come to pass. _Battosai spoke, though his dead face didn't move. _Now get out of my realm, rurouni scum.

_Kenshin felt himself falling back into the darkness and finally hitting the ground where he slept. _

Gasping for air, Kenshin tore open his eyes. He shivered, breathing heavily, and noticed he was covered in a cold sweat.

Looking over to where Isuzu dozed, Kenshin found himself placing a hand on the katana and drawing it. Walking over to her, Kenshin stared down at the sleeping girl. He studied her, and was suddenly hit with a scent. The scent of Hakubaiko.

Falling back quickly, Kenshin sheathed the katana and placed his hands out to catch him. _What fresh hell is this?_

-------

_Sojiro watched as the other Sojiro stared off into the distance, clearly talking to someone._ What's Himura-san up to?

_Suddenly, Sojiro heard a noise behind him. Turning quickly, he beheld someone of years long gone by. _

_Floating before him was a beautiful woman, wrapped in a silver kimono. Her hair was swept back into a knot upon her head, and the shawl she wore around her shoulders matched the ivory pins used for this style. Her eyes were beautiful deep blue pools that bore into Sojiro's soul._

Mother.

It's me. It's been a long time since I've seen my son, but I never thought I'd see him in another's body. _Her eyes glittered with this remark._ I died when you were quite young, Sojiro, and I will never forgive myself for that. I saw what they did to you at that home, and I beg forgiveness.

It's all right, Mother. Why do you come to me now?

_She reached out to hold his hand, her voice shaking._ Well, I hate to alarm you, Sojiro, but I think I have to. This curse Makoto Shishio has set upon you is, well...how should I put this? Sojiro, if you can't figure out how to reverse this curse, you and the man whose body you are in will die.

_Sojiro gasped._ Surely not? I'm aware that Shishio was angry with me, but to wish me to die?

He's new around the realms of the dead and doesn't know just what is caused by his actions. He doesn't know the consequences of what he thought was a little prank spurred by revenge.

_Shaking his head, Sojiro asked the question that had been nagging at him._ How long do I have?

_When at last his mother spoke, her voice was calm once more._ No more than a week. Perhaps less. You must use the time you have right now. The other man is being instructed, as far as I know. Unfortunately, my time with you is over. Goodbye, son.

_A bright light filled his vision._

I loved you, Sojiro.

I wish I could say the same.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

-------

"Oh, Kenshin! Kenshin! What happened?"

For the third time, Sojiro's body adjusted to the feelings linked with recovering from passing out. His head spun, but he managed to sit up and open his eyes. The light streaming in from the windows near him told him it was the next morning. He had been knocked out the whole night. Quickly, he came up with an excuse. "It was Kaoru-dono's idea of punishment. The blows must have had an effect on this one's previous head injury."

"I hope that's all it was," Yahiko replied. "If it's serious, Kaoru will freak. You know how she is when you get hurt badly."

Sojiro nodded, pretending to know what Yahiko was talking about. "Yeah. This one wouldn't want her to worry."

Suddenly, Sagara-san burst into the room. "Kenshin! There's a man here to see you. He says it's urgent."

Standing, Sojiro walked to the front of the dojo, Yahiko, Sagara-san, and Kaoru, who had heard Sagara-san's yelling, behind him. Upon reaching the dojo gates, Sojiro was surprised to see just who was there to see Kenshin.

It was the man from the diner. The man that had drugged Sojiro. "What do you want?" Sojiro asked, a little too impatiently.

The man bowed. "I'm here for a duel, Battosai. I've heard of your strength and wish to test it against my own."

Everyone watched Sojiro as he determined what to do. Choosing what Kenshin would have, Sojiro replied. "This one will not fight at random. There is no need to test one's abilities against Battosai's. Battosai is dead, and the rurouni lives in his place. This one sees no need to fight you."

Kaoru clapped slightly, and Yahiko smirked. The man, however, seemed unimpressed. "No, I'm afraid you don't see. I've traveled far to fight you, Battosai. I will not back down so easily." He drew his katana. "Fight me, or I'll have to destroy one of your companions."

Sojiro desperately wanted to fight the man, and he knew Kenshin couldn't have passed up a threat against his friends. "This one will fight, but not as Battosai. You will have to content yourself with fighting the rurouni." Sojiro's hand drifted to the sakabato at his side. "If a fight is unavoidable, this one will make it fast."

Within the time span of a blink, Sojiro ran behind the man and slashed his back with the sakabato. The man spun and blocked the attack, stabbing at Sojiro, but he was much too slow. Sojiro ran around to his front before the man even finished his attack.

"This one said it would be fast," Sojiro smirked. He had found that it was nearly impossible for him not to smile in battle.

Sojiro decided to test some of his newer moves. Running directly towards the man, Sojiro held his blade in front of him so it was pointing directly up, the sharp edge pointing towards his face. As soon as the blunt end met the man, Sojiro flipped the katana so the man was thrown in the air. The blade facing down, Sojiro used to the hilt of the sword to jump to meet him. He whacked the sakabato directly into the man's windpipe and quickly landed, running out of the way of the man's fall.

The man hit the ground hard, on his back, blood spewing from his mouth, and temporarily winded. Sojiro felt slightly sorry for the man, but let it pass.

"Way to go, Kenshin!" Yahiko cheered from behind him.

"It's not over yet," Sagara-san informed Yahiko. "He won't be defeated that easily."

Sure enough, the man was getting to his feet in front of Sojiro. Surprised by the man's stamina, Sojiro decided to revert back to older moves. Sheathing his sword, his assumed the stance for the Shunten-satsu.He was going to finish this man off quickly.

"Is that Battojutsu?" Sojiro heard Sagara-san ask from behind him.

"No, it's not," Kaoru answered, an odd note in her voice. "But that's not Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki either."

"I've seen that before," Sagara-san observed, his voice sounding weird.

The man had by now gotten up and was heading towards Sojiro. Quickly, Sojiro switched into as close to Shukuchi as he could get. The man looked a bit confused, but ran forward anyway. At the last moment, Sojiro pulled out the sakabato and performed the closest thing he could to the Shunten-satsu. It hit its target, and the man fell to the ground, unconscious.

"And fast it was," Sojiro said, turning to walk back towards the dojo.

His way was barred by Sagara-san, Yahiko and Kaoru. Sagara-san's fist was pulled back, ready to punch, Yahiko's shinai was drawn, point facing Sojiro, and Kaoru had her bokken held in a ready position.

"Who are you?" Kaoru asked, her eyes cold as ice. "And where's Kenshin?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

-------

Isuzu trotted beside Kenshin, fiddling with her obi. The faint scent of Hakubaiko wafted from her occasionally.

"Isuzu-dono?" She turned at the sound of her name.

"Yes, Sojiro-kun?"

Kenshin risked his question. "Why are you so keen to leave your town behind? What misfortune befell you that caused you to leave?"

Isuzu stared at the ground for a while before responding. "Haven't you ever wanted to have an adventure, Sojiro-kun? Haven't you ever wanted to be known around the country? To be famous? Just to be something more than you are?" When Kenshin didn't respond, she continued. "That's why I left. You're the first strong swordsman to pass through that town. I just wanted to have a life other than that of a farm girl."

Kenshin looked at the ground, choosing his words carefully. "It's not all it's cracked up to be, being known. This one knows of someone who is known by many, but wishes to just be left alone. He wanted to help people, and instead hurt them. For that he is known." Kenshin paused. "It's not all what it seems to be."

Isuzu watched him through all of this, her eyes shining with interest. "Who is this man? Why do I not know who you speak of?"

_Did you really think you could trust Isuzu, Kenshin? _he remembered Battosai's words. "He is not important anymore," Kenshin replied. "He is of no importance to you, anyway. No use dwelling on the past."

Isuzu continued to look at him, but she said nothing more. A while passed before she spoke again. "So how long will it take us to get to Tokyo?"

"At this pace, probably around three days," Kenshin responded. "That is, unless you would like to move faster?"

Isuzu hesitated. "Could we move faster, then? I'd like to get there before the end of the week."

Kenshin didn't question her reasons, but instead nodded. "You'll have to keep up, though," he informed her, and started running slowly into the forest, creating a path for her as he went.

Isuzu watched him for a moment before following.

-------

"Who are you?" Kaoru asked, her eyes cold as ice. "And where's Kenshin?"

Sojiro could have used the sakabato to clear the gang off, but something stayed his hand as he struggled to find a reply.

"Tell her, or I swear I'll kill you," Sagara-san threatened, picking Sojiro up by his gi. "I swear to you by the mark on my back that I will kill you if you don't cooperate."

Sojiro gulped and placed a rurouni grin on his face. "Ok, you've caught this one. Obviously, Himura-san is not here, however, where he is is unknown."

"Bull!" Yahiko yelled, his shinai poking Sojiro hard in the stomach. "You know just where he is! Tell us!"

"Alright. This one-I will tell you, as long as you let this one-me down," Sojiro promised, dropping Kenshin's dialect. "I promise."

Slowly, Sano let him down to the ground, but both the shinai and the bokken still pointed at him. "You probably won't believe this, but I'm Seta Sojiro and Himura-san has my body."

"Bull!" Yahiko screamed again. "Do you expect us to believe that? There's no way that could happen."

"Look, I don't know why it happened. All I know is that I'm in Himura-san's body and he's in mine. Shishio did something from the dead, and now I have to find Himura-san before the end of this week, or else --"

Kaoru cut him off. "Why would you and Kenshin switch places? That doesn't make sense. You're lying, and I know it."

"No, I'm not," Sojiro insisted. "Really! I really need to find Himura-san before the end of the week!"

"Or else what?" Sagara-san asked, a fierce look in his eyes. "You'll cry? I'm sure."

"NO! I need to find him, or both he and I will _die!_ It's not worth explaining how I know this, but I know it'll happen. We need to find him and he and I need to switch back, somehow." The looks they gave him were still skeptical. "Really! I know you must hate me for taking Himura-san's body, but I didn't do it on purpose! I didn't destroy the dojo on purpose! I didn't mean to complicate your lives! Please you have to trust me!"

No one spoke for a few moments. Eventually, Sagara-san spoke up. "I sorta believe you're Sojiro. You've acted weird, and called Kaoru 'Kamiya-san,' which Kenshin would never do. As for being in Kenshin's body, I don't really believe that, but I don't see any other way you could have replaced him when Megumi and we were looking after him while he was knocked out. Somehow, you must have switched then."

"It still doesn't make sense," Yahiko protested. "There's no reason why he and Kenshin should have switched. No reason at all. You're not in Kenshin's body, but you're not Kenshin. It's confusing. I don't know what to think."

By this point, the other three had lowered their weapons, and Kaoru stepped forward. She placed her hand on Sojiro's left cheek, the one with Himura-san's scars. "I believe him," she said finally. "I really do. Somehow he and Kenshin switched, and now we need to get them switched back. Before it's too late."

Sojiro wanted to hug her, so grateful was he that she had believed him, but he restrained himself. "Thank you, Kaoru-kun. We're going to have to work together to get this to work. Are you all willing to help me?"

Yahiko stepped forward. "I'm not going to help you. I'm gonna help Kenshin, and if that means I have to be on your side, then so be it. Kenshin's our friend, and we'll help him no matter what."

Sojiro nodded his head. "Now look. Himura-san's most likely on his way here. All we have to do is intercept him. I know where he's coming from, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"Just tell us what to do, Sojiro, and we'll do it," Kaoru reassured him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

-------

"Can we rest for a bit, Sojiro-kun?" Isuzu asked, breathing heavily and sweating.

Kenshin hadn't meant to make her work so hard, but Sojiro's body tired more slowly than his own, and he couldn't judge how long or fast they had been going. Slowing, he turned to face her. "This one is sorry for being unaware of your needs."

"Oh, it's fine, Sojiro-kun. I'm just not as used to traveling as you. How far do you think we are from Tokyo?" Isuzu asked, sitting down by the base of a tree.

"About a day's journey, if this pace is kept," Kenshin responded. "If we slow, then about two days."

Isuzu looked down at the ground. "Well, I guess we'll have to keep going at this pace, then. I really want to get there really soon. I've never seen Tokyo, but I've heard a lot about it."

A silence filled the air. "Do you know of any dojos around there?" Isuzu asked.

Kenshin looked at her, surprised. "Why do you seek a dojo?" Her question brought back memories of the dream with Battosai. Was he right?

_Of course I'm right, rurouni. She wants to find a dojo so she can train and kill you. Just leave her here._

_This one cannot leave an innocent person without protection._

_Then kill her. I will for you if you're too weak. It would easy. Like killing an ant._

_That is not the point, Battosai. This one cannot -- will not take her life. She will travel to Tokyo safely. That is a promise._

Isuzu got to her feet. "I want to be stronger, to be able to defend myself. Ever since that man Katashi attacked me, I've realized just how weak I am, and if I'm going to go on an adventure, I can't use escorts the whole time. I need to be strong enough to travel alone and to take care of myself. Can you understand that?"

Suddenly, Kenshin was reminded of a little boy he had saved and helped to become strong. "Yahiko."

"What?"

He hadn't realized he'd said Yahiko's name aloud. "Nothing. This one will try to help you to get strong enough to take care of yourself. A dojo is known, and we shall visit it once Tokyo is reached."

Isuzu smiled beautifully. "_Doomo_ a_rigatoo gozaimasu, _Sojiro-kun! I'm forever in your debt."

Kenshin nodded. _Well, maybe Kaoru-dono would like the extra student._

--------

"Sojiro, we've been walking for eight hours, and Kenshin's nowhere to be seen. Are you sure you know where you're going?" Yahiko whined, his arms crossed in front of him.

Sojiro nodded. "This is the only way Himura-san could be coming, that is, unless he's taking a side route or going through the forest. But either way, we'll meet up with him."

"Can't we just run?" Sano asked, a fish tail in his mouth. He looked quite relaxed for someone who had just recently found out his best friend was one of Kenshin's enemies.

"If Yahiko can keep up," Sojiro answered, throwing Yahiko a teasing look. Even though these were Himura-san's friends, Sojiro had found he'd gotten quite close to them in the time that he was Kenshin.

"Of course I can keep up, Sojiro! I'm not useless! In fact, I'll race you!" Yahiko challenged, dropping into a ready position.

Sano laughed. "You might want to rethink that, Yahiko. Sojiro knows Shukuchi. I doubt you could even reach God Speed. How about you and I race, _Chibi-_chan?"

By this point, Yahiko was furious. "No one calls me little and gets away with it! Count off to start, Sojiro!" He had a determined expression on his face.

Sojiro laughed at the young boy. "All right, but I'll run alongside to make sure no one cheats. Ready?"

Sano spat out the fish bone.

"Set?"

Yahiko balled his hands into fists.

"GO!"

In unison, both Sano and Yahiko took off. Sano was far ahead of the boy, but Sojiro knew that wasn't about to stop Yahiko. Sighing, he waited a few seconds before running to catch up. He covered the distance within a few seconds and was running next to Yahiko. "I thought you could beat him," Sojiro teased.

"I could, if you would move!" Yahiko yelled, finding an excuse for how slow he was.

"Fine, fine." Sojiro sped up and wound up next to Sano. This time it took him longer to catch up with his target.

"There's no way he'll catch up!" Sano laughed. "You know, he seems to forget that I ran from my home town to Tokyo!"

"And you seem to forget that I'm not Himura-san," Sojiro added, seeing Sano's expression change as he added this in. "You seem to forget that I have no clue what you're talking about."

"So get out of the way!" Sano reached out and pushed Sojiro off the path and into the forest. He chuckled to himself. "Sucker."

"Hey!" A female voice came from where Sojiro had met the forest. Sano stopped in his tracks and doubled back to where Sojiro had fallen. Yahiko, seeing that Sano had stopped for some reason, slowed down to meet up with him.

"What happened?" Yahiko asked. "Where's Sojiro?"

"Sojiro-kun's here!" the female voice responded. A woman stepped from the trees and looked at Sano and Yahiko. She was ridiculously beautiful, and had purple hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Someone's attacked him! You must help!"

Sano and Yahiko dashed into the trees, only to see two men, swords locked, one a sakabato, and the other a katana. Sojiro and Kenshin stood, having drawn out of reflex when the other had bumped into them. Himura-san's face betrayed his surprise. "Sojiro?" he asked.

"Himura-san?"

"What?" the woman asked, thoroughly confused. "He's Sojiro-kun," she said, pointing to Kenshin. "Who're you, and why have you attacked him?"

"Uh, miss, that's not-" Sano cut Yahiko off.

"That's Kenshin. He's our friend. I pushed him into the forest, so he must have hit Sojiro and startled you," Sano covered quickly.

Kenshin lowered his katana. "Soj-I mean Himura-san! This one didn't expect to see you until entering Tokyo."

Sojiro sheathed the sakabato. "We went to find you. There's a lot that needs to be fixed before the end of the week." He inclined his head in the direction of the woman. "Who's she?"

"I'm Hiromasu Isuzu, and I'm traveling with Sojiro-kun to Tokyo. Who are you?" Isuzu asked, her face flushed.

"This one apologizes, Isuzu-dono," Sojiro covered, adopting Kenshin's dialect again. "This one is known as Himura Kenshin."

Sano nodded. "Sagara Sanosuke, former street fighter."

"Myojin Yahiko, Tokyo _shizoku,_"Yahiko stated proudly.

"And we're friends to your Sojiro," Sojiro added. He nodded at Kenshin, and Kenshin inclined his head.

"It is true, Isuzu-dono. They are friends."

Isuzu looked about ready to burst. "But that makes no sense! Why attack a friend? What do you have to do? And why do you and that Kenshin guy both talk so weird?"

"It is a long story, Isuzu-dono," Kenshin answered, turning to face her.

"Then tell me!" Isuzu fumed. She started forward, until Sano placed a retraining hand on her shoulder.

"There are some things that you don't need to know," he informed her, his eyes stone cold. "Accept that fact."

The look she gave him could have wilted flowers. "_I didn't ask you, Zanza_!"

Everyone stared at her until Kenshin finally spoke up. "He never told you his name was Zanza, Isuzu-dono." Yahiko drew his shinai. "Tell, is there any other knowledge you've been hiding?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's note: I just went back and edited all the chapters up to this to clear up some honorific issues. It should be a LOT easier to read now. Enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Everyone stared at Isuzu as Sojiro drew the sakabato. She looked quite uncomfortable, and who could blame her? She was surrounded by warriors.

_I told you, rurouni! I told you she's up to something!_

_She might be innocent, Battosai._

_Yeah, right. Can't I just kill her and get it over with?_

The rurouni sighed. _No._

Shifting her weight, Isuzu finally answered Kenshin's question. "I only know he's Zanza because I saw one of his fights a while ago. I asked who he was, and someone told me his old name. I could never forget his face, or the aku on his back, even after all these years."

Sano gave her a strange look. "Just where was this fight?"

Isuzu waved her hand. "Oh, some town whose name I've forgotten." Then to Kenshin, "It's one of the few towns I've been to other than my own."

Sojiro slowly sheathed the sakabato, but his eyes never left her. "If that is the case, Isuzu-dono, we apologize for acting as we did. Won't you come with us to Tokyo?"

Isuzu nodded, giving Sojiro a funny look. _It's nothing, Battosai. There's nothing that she has against Sojiro._

_Oh, to the contrary, rurouni. Just wait. Just sit back and wait._

"I'll go with you, but only if Sojiro-kun does as well," she stated.

"Of course this one is going!" Kenshin ensured her. "This is the reason one came to Tokyo. Tell, Himura-san, how far are we from the city?"

"About eight hours' walk, or about two hours' run, Ken-er-Sojiro," Yahiko responded. "I'd like to run, though, seeing as my race with Sano was interrupted."

"I'll still beat you, squirt," Sano said, leaning on Yahiko, his arm on his head. "You're really slow!"

"Isuzu-dono?" Kenshin said, turning to her. "You can either walk with someone, or one of us can help you to run." He was unsure how she would take this, only knowing her for such a short time.

"I'll run," she replied, a determined look upon her features. "But I'll do it by myself. I'm not useless, and if I'm going to train in _kenjutsu_, I'm going to have to be able to at least _run_."

Kenshin smiled. She really did remind him of Yahiko. "Yes. But if you need, this one shall be there to help." With that, Sano and Yahiko took to the road, the other three following them out.

"Someone count us off!" Yahiko yelled. "This time I'm gonna beat you, Sano! No stopping until we get to the dojo, all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, kid. It's your rules, and it's your downfall." Sano smirked and looked ahead.

"Ready? Set? Go!" Sojiro yelled, seeing his new position in their lives. The two took off, and Isuzu and Kenshin after them. Sojiro waited for them to pull ahead a bit more before running to follow.

-------

Because of Yahiko's rule, it took the group a much shorter time to reach Tokyo than they would have. However, it was because of this rule that Sano wound up on the front steps of the Kamiya dojo, drenched in sweat, Yahiko not too far behind him.

Sojiro was already there, catching his breath. "Two hour's a bit more than a sprint, eh, Sano?" he asked. Isuzu had fallen behind a while ago, and Kenshin had turned back to help her.

"Just slightly," Sano joked. "I wonder how Jou-chan will take it when she sees Kenshin with Isuzu? She's bound to think the worst, no matter how far from the truth she is. Well, at least you won't be the only one with head injuries."

Sojiro laughed. "Hey, Sano? Do you mind if I call you Sano? I've been doing it lately because I'm just used to how Himura-san talks, but do you mind?" He had just realized that he had been mentally calling him Sano for a while now.

"Eh, I don't mind." Sano stood, towering over Kenshin's body, a fierce look on his face. "Just don't call me Zanza."

When Sojiro remained frozen, Sano laughed. "It's all right, Sojiro. I'm just kidding."

Sojiro forced a laugh. His brain had shut off when Sano had taken that position because it had forcefully reminded him of Shishio, and of the fight with Kenshin. "Oh!" Sano's voice brought him back to reality. "Yahiko's finally gotten here. Hey, kid! I think I beat you!" He yelled the last bit so Yahiko could hear him.

"Oh, shut up, Sanosuke!"

The door slid open, and Kaoru stepped out. She looked from Sano, laughing to Sojiro, still slightly put off by the rush of memories, to Yahiko, dripping in sweat and leaning on his shinai, a murderous glare in his eyes. "I don't want to know," she informed them. Looking at Sojiro, she stepped closer and gazed into his eyes. "You're still Sojiro, aren't you?" she asked him.

"Yes, Kaoru-kun."

She shook her head. "It's your eyes. They're not the same as Kenshin's. Ok, well I guess they _are_ the same as Kenshin's, seeing as they're his, but there's something different about them. There aren't any specks of gold, and there's this happiness that's lacking. It's how I could tell you weren't him in the first place."

At this point, Isuzu and Kenshin rounded the corner, Kenshin supporting Isuzu's weight. Her arm was around his shoulders, and she had obviously injured herself somehow. The look in Kaoru's eyes, however, was not of concern, but that of someone who has decided to kill someone in a very long, painful way.

"Who's that!" she shot at Sano so hard he had to prevent himself from falling. Sojiro was surprised no flames had come from her mouth.

"That's Hiromasu Isuzu. She's some girl Kenshin picked up on his travels. Be nice," with that, Sano entered the dojo, all too prepared for Kaoru's temper tantrum.

Kenshin walked up the steps, waving at Kaoru. "Hello there, Kaoru-dono!" he yelled.

"Don't you 'Kaoru-dono' me," she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Sojiro to hear. With a quick glance around, he realized Yahiko had evacuated the scene as well.

"Isuzu-dono hurt herself while running to get here. Perhaps Megumi-dono could take a look at it? Her ankle seems to be sprained, at least," Kenshin explained, helping Isuzu to sit down on the front porch.

"Megumi might be busy, Kenshin," Kaoru fumed, most likely aware that this wasn't true. "We'd hate to bother her."

"Oh, it's alright," Isuzu said, turning to face Kaoru. "I'm sure Sojiro-kun can take care of it." She placed a hand on Kenshin's shoulder.

Sojiro swore he saw sparks flying between the two women. "Kaoru-dono," Kenshin began. "You must take care of your new student."

"STUDENT?" This was both women.

"But Sojiro-kun, you said you'd take me to a dojo!" Isuzu protested.

"Can't you read the sign?" Kaoru demanded. "It says 'Kamiya dojo'. I'm the master here, but I'm not accepting new students."

"Yes you are, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin informed her. "It is as with Yahiko. She wishes to be strong. Training shall begin once her ankle heals, yes?" The look on his face could have persuaded the Okashira to give up the life of the shadows and become a professional ballerina.

Sojiro watched as Kaoru's face melted from fury to amusement at Kenshin. "All right, Kenshin, but I'm doing this for you, not for her." She pointed at Isuzu.

"Well that's fine by me," Isuzu shot back. "The moment I know enough _kenjutsu_ to get by, I'm out of here!"

Kenshin smiled. "Good. Now, let us go inside, yes? This one has been craving to see the Kamiya dojo for quite a while."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I can do it!"

"But I can help!"

These shouts came from the kitchen and were loud enough to be heard all over the house. Kenshin sat, the katana resting on his shoulder. Sojiro, Sano, and Yahiko seemed to be attempting to ignore the yells from the two women fighting over cooking privileges.

Yahiko sighed. "Boy. If Isuzu keeps this up, she'll be a more annoying student than I am, and I've been working on it for a while."

Sano merely shook his head, and Sojiro stayed facing the kitchen. "Do you really think they're going to get anything done? Should we interfere?"

Kenshin shook his head. "Sojiro, if there's one thing this one has learned about Kaoru-dono, it's to not interfere. Megumi-dono tried, and Kaoru-dono strongly dislikes her."

"Strongly dislikes? I think that's an understatement, Kenshin," Sano laughed. "But Sojiro's right. If we don't break this up, we'll never get to eat, and I'm really hungry."

The four sat in silence for a while, listening to the threats and crashes from the kitchen. Sojiro began playing with the wrapping on the sakabato's sheath, and Yahiko stood and began practicing the blade cross. A few more minutes passed, and Sano let out a cry of frustration.

"That's it! I'm going in there, and I'm breaking this up, no matter what I have to do to stop them!" Standing, he crossed over to the hall. Kenshin heard him open the door to the Kitchen and say, "Hello, ladies!" before another few crashes were sounded.

Some more cries echoed throughout the house before they heard the door open again and Sano stepped into the room. "I broke it up," he said, carrying Isuzu under his arm.

"Let me go!" she yelled, trying to kick him. "This is indecent! Let me go!"

"Lady," Sano looked down at her. "If you're going to be a student here, you need to obey your _Shishou_. Jou-chan's your _Shishou. _Get over it. As for indecency, you've seen nothing yet." Standing in front of the door, Sano set her down in front of him.

The moment Isuzu was free, she ran over to Kenshin. "Sojiro-kun! I was just trying to help! Can't you teach me _kenjutsu_? I don't want to learn from this Kaoru-chan."

" This one's sword style shall not be passed on. Kamiya Kasshin Ryu is your only option. Yahiko's managed to deal with Kaoru-dono, ne?"

"Yeah, Kenshin, and I'm pretty strong, too!" Yahiko responded, taking a seat next to Isuzu. "Once you learn a bit, Isuzu, I'll spar against you, that is, if you're not too easy of an opponent. I hate letting people win."

Isuzu reached over and shoved Yahiko onto his side. "I'll beat you now, even."

Sojiro now stood and walked over to the two. "Now? This one believes that could be arranged, but Isuzu-dono, would you be able to fight with your injuries? Would you even want to fight Yahiko?"

Isuzu glared at him. "Of course I can fight, and of course I will fight him. He's no threat to me." Yahiko looked furious, but he didn't respond.

"Then it's decided," Sano declared. "A fight. Right now. In the dojo. I'll go get Jou-chan."

Kenshin shook his head as he followed Isuzu, Sano, and Yahiko out the door. Catching up with Sojiro, he whispered, "It is not a good idea to pit these two against each other. Such behavior should not be encouraged."

Sojiro smiled. "I see no problem, Himura-san. Yahiko will defeat Isuzu-kun, and her pride will be broken. Kaoru-kun should have no problem with her once Isuzu-kun realizes she's weaker than a ten-year-old boy."

_If she is weaker, rurouni._

_Why would she not be? She has no formal training. Yahiko can handle her._

_Yahiko's about to be beaten badly. Get Megumi ready._

Kenshin hesitated. "I'll trust you for now, Sojiro, but if Yahiko gets hurt-"

"-I'll blame myself for his injuries, and I'll take care of him," Sojiro finished. He smirked. "I've accidentally grown quite attached to your friends, Himura-san. If they get injured, I'll help them out."

-------

Sojiro watched as Yahiko strutted into the dojo, drawing his shinai. Isuzu entered slightly slower, dressed in one of Kaoru's training outfits, and looking around her. Her eyes strayed to the rack of shinai and bokken. Reaching out, she grabbed a bokken, only for Kaoru's hand to shove it back. "For this fight, you are to use a shinai. Yahiko is, and you can, too."

Wrenching her hand away, Isuzu grabbed a shinai and turned to face Yahiko. "Don't we need a judge?" she asked, looking around the room.

"This one will judge," Sojiro announced, stepping forward. "Let's make this fast. It's a three-hit match. No tricks. Understood?"

Yahiko and Isuzu nodded, and Yahiko bowed towards the older woman. "I won't hold back," he informed her.

"Neither will I," she guaranteed, shifting the shinai to her left hand and assuming the ready position. Sojiro noticed a slight aura coming from her and was confused. She wasn't supposed to know anything about _kenjutsu_.

"So you're a lefty," Yahiko remarked. "Fine. That's good for you. You're still going down."

"Round one!" Sojiro announced, raising his right hand in the air. "Begin!" His hand dropped to his side.

Yahiko immediately charged forward, yelling out as he did so. Once within range, he ducked and slashed at her middle, a move that would have proved serious were he using a real sword. Isuzu, however, easily blocked the move and used the centrifugal force of blocking to spin around and smack Yahiko clean in the head.

"Valid hit! One round!" Sojiro yelled, allowing the two to go back to their corners and for Kaoru to rush out to Yahiko. Turning around, Sojiro saw that Kenshin had a surprised look on his face. He looked almost uneasy.

"Yahiko! What are you doing?" Kaoru asked him. "You're shaming my dojo and my teachings!"

"Um, Kaoru-dono, we'd like to continue," Sojiro told her. She threw up her arms and took a seat next to Himura-san.

"Calm down, Jou-chan," Sojiro heard Sano reassure her. "Relax."

"Round two! Start!" Sojiro shouted.

This time, Yahiko stayed farther away, waiting for Isuzu. She advanced quite quickly, jumping and bringing the shinai down on Yahiko's shoulder. He reacted quickly and held up his shinai, taking the impact on the sword instead of himself. Ducking and rolling, Yahiko smacked her hard in the back.

"Valid hit! Two rounds!" This time, Kaoru didn't come out and Yahiko and Isuzu moved back to their sides. Sojiro raised his hand again. "Round three! Begin!"

-------

"Round three! Begin!"

Kenshin noticed Yahiko run forward, but his eyes were on Isuzu. _She told this one she didn't know anything about fighting._

_What'd I tell you, rurouni? She's acting stupid to get you on her good side. Be prepared. _

Isuzu screamed and ran forward, just as Yahiko did the same. He was running quite quickly, as was Isuzu. Yahiko held the shinai so the blade was horizontal across his chest, as opposed to Isuzu's shinai sticking straight out. The two collided with an earsplitting sound as Isuzu's shinai splintered and Yahiko smacked her hard in the side.

"Valid hit! Match goes to Yahiko!" Sojiro announced, his face betraying his pleasure. Yahiko turned and began to walk out of the dojo.

"Yahiko!" Kenshin yelled. Spinning around, he saw Isuzu charge with a bokken taken from the wall at Yahiko's back. Before she could reach him, however, Kaoru jumped in front of him, her own bokken in hand. The two wooden swords collided, and the two women stood stationary, blades crossed.

"What're you doing?" Kaoru demanded.

"Challenging the leader," Isuzu responded. "Although I was aiming for that brat. I guess he needed you to protect him, though. You might want to get Kenshin-san to help you out. It seems that you'll need protection, too."

With a cry of rage, Kaoru shoved Isuzu back. "I don't need anyone's help!" She charged then, jumping over Isuzu, her bokken over her head so it slammed into Isuzu's shoulder. She recoiled momentarily before charging Kaoru as she landed.

Sliding on the ground, Isuzu stuck the bokken forward so it stabbed Kaoru hard in the stomach. She fell forward, blood coming from her mouth. Before she even hit the ground, both Sano and Sojiro had run forward and now stood on either side of Isuzu. Kenshin caught Kaoru and checked her wounds before turning to Isuzu.

Drawing the katana, he stepped forward.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: sorry for the delay in updating. I was on vacation and then decided to work on my one shot series. Anyway, this is chapter nine of Sojiro and Kenshin (properly known as The Black Hitokiri's Revenge.) I hope you enjoy it.

As a writer, I don't tend to map out where my stories are going, but instead let them flow until they eventually end, so if you have any comments or suggestions, please include them in your review. Most of this chapter is based on suggestions.

Thanks, and please enjoy!

-------

Chapter 9

Sojiro watched from the corner of his eye as Kenshin moved forward, his eyes an odd golden color. It was odd to see his own body with golden eyes, but Sojiro let the thought drop and focused on Isuzu. "You can't take us all on at once."

But Isuzu didn't hear. Her eyes were focused on Kenshin's eyes. "Th-that stare." She lurched forward, only to be blocked by the sakabato. "That stare!"

"Move, Sojiro, or I will slice you in two." Sojiro whirled at Kenshin's use of "I". Was this the legendary Hitokiri Battosai? The look on Kenshin's face was of pure hatred as the katana whipped through the air.

"Don't kill her, Kenshin!" Yahiko yelled from where he sat, propping Kaoru up.

There was a slight noise as the katana cut directly through its target, slicing the bokken in half. Sojiro watched the tip of the bokken fall to the ground before turning back to Isuzu. "Why'd you attack Kaoru-dono?"

Isuzu stared at him and then back at Kenshin before promptly fainting. All three men let her fall, too shocked to do anything but watch. A few silent moments passed before Sano nudged her with his foot. "She's out cold, guys. Better take her to Megumi."

Sojiro nodded and turned to Kenshin, watching in awe as the gold eyes turned upon the unconscious woman. "Take her, then. I'll take Kaoru-dono. She obviously is more damaged. It's unfortunate I couldn't change that."

"What are you saying, Himura-san?" Sojiro asked, taken aback by his sudden violent attitude. "Surely you didn't intend to attack her?"

Kenshin shot him a golden glare and turned, heading towards the fallen Kaoru. Sojiro watched him go, unsure what had just happened.

--------

Megumi bustled about from one bed to another, tending to her patients. Kaoru had awoken a while ago, but she was still confined to the bed. "What'd you do to them?" Megumi asked Sano, only to get no response. Sighing, she turned to Sojiro. "What happened, Ken-san?"

Sojiro faltered for a second before directing a question towards Sano. "She we tell her about, well, everything?" he asked.

Sano was leaning against a wall, inspecting his right hand. "You might as well, Sojiro. She might be able to help."

"Sojiro?" Megumi asked, whirling to stare at him. "What do you mean Sojiro? That's Ken-san, idiot. Ken-san, did he get whacked over the head, too?"

"Megumi-san, you have to promise not to think we're insane," Kaoru said from where she sat. She was dressed in sleeping robes, but her face was set with iron determination.

"Oh, don't worry. I already know at least _he's _insane," she answered, pointing to Sano.

"Hey!"

Kaoru sighed. "Look, Megumi-san. This is all going to sound very weird, but you have to believe us. Kenshin-" Kenshin waved his hand. "-and Sojiro-" Sojiro did the same. "-have switched bodies somehow."

Megumi just stared at her for a moment before bursting out in uncontrollable laughter. "Kaoru-san, I think this injury has gotten to your head. I mean, no one else believes you, right?" She looked around to see all the serious expressions from everyone in the room. "Right? Oh, don't tell me you all believe her."

"Actually, Megumi-dono, it was this one that told Kaoru in the first place," Sojiro offered, stepping forward. "Himura-san and I have switched somehow, and we need to fix it before it kills us."

"Please, Megumi-dono," Kenshin pleaded. "We need your help. If this matter isn't resolved, both this one and Sojiro will die."

Megumi looked around at everyone in the room, the somber expressions she got in return confusing her more. "Oh come _on_! Joke's over, guys! There's no way this could happen, and you know it. Now let's all laugh and move on, alright?"

Sojiro looked down, but he noticed Kenshin step forward. Leaning over so he was face-to-face with the sitting Megumi, he smiled. "Can't you tell this one from a stranger? Can't you see it in this one's eyes?"

Megumi stared into his eyes for a few moments, and Kaoru quietly fumed from her bed. Then, Megumi averted her gaze and stood up. "Ok. I'll help you. Somehow."

Kenshin smiled and backed off, turning to Kaoru. "Then let's start."

-------

Kaoru sighed, trying desperately to keep her drooping eyelids open. Kenshin nodded in her direction. "This will soon pay off, Kaoru-dono."

It was several hours into the morning, and yet the group still hadn't found anything useful in Megumi's many books. "Maybe this has never happened before, Kenshin. There might not be anything about it."

Megumi looked up from the scroll she was scouring. "I'm certain I've seen something like this before in one of my texts. Trust me, you don't forget something that odd."

Sighing, Kenshin glanced at the sleeping Yahiko in the corner. "Perhaps we should come back? The search might prove more useful when we're more awake."

Sojiro shook his head. "This is the fourth day since we were cursed. We only have a maximum of three days left, before we, well..." he trailed off.

Sano nodded. "Point taken. We're just going to have to work harder. We'll go after all these scrolls and books, searching until we can say-"

"-Found it!"

"Yes, Megumi. Until we can say that," Sano replied.

"No, I mean I found it!" Megumi exclaimed, opening the book she was reading so everyone could see it. "Look!"

Kaoru leaned over to see, her fatigue lost from the excitement of the discovery. Slowly and hopefully, Kenshin began to read aloud from the diary Megumi had found:

_"Earlier today, I heard a scream from the house beside mine. I grabbed my medicine bag and rushed over to see how I could help the poor soul that had cried out. Entering the house, I beheld a woman, seated on the ground, staring at her hands. Upon seeing her, I inquired, 'What's wrong, miss?'_

_'He's come for me! He's changed me! I'm her! It's his punishment! He knows!_ He knows!'_ she responded, starting to sweat. _

_'Pardon?' I asked, getting out one of my compresses. _

_She swung around, grabbing the front of my gi. 'He knows I killed her! He knows I did it. He_ knows! _He visited in a dream and changed me! _HE CHANGED ME!

_Then, the woman collapsed, dead. I said a prayer before setting out to find her relatives."_

The group sat in silence for a few seconds before Sano punched the table, breaking the silence. "It doesn't say how to fix it, though! This is useless!" He used his arm to sweep the book off the table.

Sojiro remained, staring at the spot where the book had been. "I don't think this is useless, Sano. It seems that this was done out of revenge, such as in the case of Himura-san and myself."

"Yeah, but this is different," Kaoru said, sweat beading on her brow. "This is much different! There has to be a remedy! Not like this woman! For her, the only cure was-was-"

"Death," Megumi concluded, closing the diary. She looked up from the book, her eyes seeking out Sojiro and Kenshin. "The only cure was death."


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: I'm SOOO sorry this took so long! I had MAJOR writer's block. I promise to get these up faster. I promise!

Disclaimer: Kenshin's not mine. Duh.

-------

Chapter 10

An awkward silence filled the room. Although Sojiro's head was down, he could still tell everyone was staring at him and Kenshin. It was an awkward position. Finally, Sojiro broke the silence. "That can't be true. Not for us." He raised his head so he was looking Megumi in the eyes. "She told me we could fix this."

"Who told you?" Kaoru asked, looking from Sojiro to Megumi. "Who, Sojiro?"

Sojiro hesitated. Did he really want to tell them about his dream? "My-my mother," he replied, noticed the alarmed look on Kenshin's face. "I had a vision and she told me that we had until the end of the week to fix this."

"But that doesn't mean anything!" Sano shouted, and the snoozing Yahiko stirred. "You think it was a vision? It was probably a dream! It didn't mean anything, Sojiro! Nothing!"

"That's not quite true," Kenshin replied, his eyes closed and a serious expression on his face. "This one also had a vision speaking of events to come, events involving Isuzu-dono, some of which came true."

"There's something odd about that woman," Kaoru stated, crossing her arms.

"You only say that because you don't like her." Sano smirked.

"Actually, Kaoru-kun might not be wrong. Wasn't Isuzu supposed to not know anything about _kenjutsu_, Himura-san? Wasn't Kaoru-kun supposed to teach her?" Kenshin nodded.

"What went on between you two?" Megumi asked, leaning forward and studying Kenshin's face. "What happened on the journey to Tokyo?"

Kenshin took a few minutes to think back before replying. During those few minutes, every eye was on him. "Well, she insisted on traveling with this one to Tokyo, and then was attacked in the woods when she tried to travel alone."

"Who attacked her?" Sano asked, interested in anything having to do with fighting.

"Katashi-san, the same one who attacked this dojo and Kaoru-dono the day this one transformed," Kenshin responded, his eyes flashing gold before quickly returning to purple.

"Wait." This was Sojiro. "A man attacked you before you changed and then managed to find you after?"

"Yes, Sojiro."

Sojiro's eyes lit up. "That happened to me, too. Only the man drugged me the day I changed and attacked me - well your body after. He requested a fight with Battosai."

Kenshin studied Sojiro while Megumi spoke. "Maybe they have something to do with this. The chances of two men finding the two of you in a certain time span is quite low, unless it was planned."

"It's a start," Kaoru admitted. "But we still don't know how to break this curse, and we only have three days left!"

"We'll start in the morning," Kenshin said after a silence. "Everyone can sleep for now, but come morning, we'll search for these intruders."

No one seemed to want to give up their chance to sleep, and so no one disagreed, although, as Sojiro walked out of the room, he shot Kenshin a glance that questioned if this was the wisest decision. Kenshin just nodded at him and walked out.

-------

"Awake at last, are you?"

Isuzu opened her eyes to see a woman doctor leaning over her. "Wh-what happened?" she asked, the lights around her forming halos in her eyes. "Wh-who are you?"

"I'm Takani Megumi, the doctor looking over you. You passed out after attacking Kaoru," Megumi responded darkly. "Frankly, I would have just left you there if it was up to me, but Ken-Sojiro insisted that you were brought here."

"Sojiro-kun made sure I was safe?" Isuzu asked, sitting up. "That's so sweet of him."

"Yeah, I don't understand it at all," Megumi said. "Helping someone who attacked his friends? What was he thinking?"

Isuzu scanned the room, attempting to figure out where she was. "Where is Sojiro-kun now?" she asked, fiddling with her covers. "Is he here?"

Megumi laughed. "Of course not! He's not that concerned about you! As for you, you'd better brace yourself from when he does show up. He was _furious_!"

Isuzu lay back down, staring at the ceiling. "I didn't mean to make him mad. I just got so worked up," she said, pulling the blankets to her face so she could cry into them. "I didn't mean to make him mad!"

Megumi just shot her a disgusted look, stood and left.

-------

Lying down in bed, Sojiro stared at the ceiling as if expecting some vision or ticking clock to appear. Three days to live. It was a scary thought.

Sojiro knew that if he had known this when under Shishio's rule, he most likely wouldn't have cared as much. In fact, he probably would have just smiled larger and walked away. But now, knowing that this doom was coming to him and he couldn't face it with his sword was quite disturbing.

_I wonder how Himura-san's dealing with this? _Sojiro asked himself. Kenshin had more to say good bye to than him. _It must be even harder. _But Kenshin wasn't the type of person to be pessimistic. He was probably thinking that they'd get out of this easily.

_I just hope you're right, Himura-san._

-------

Kaoru felt like crying. For the first time in quite a while, Kaoru felt like letting loose and crying, crying until she couldn't cry anymore. Kenshin was so close to death. _So close_, and there wasn't even anything he could do to stop it.

Sitting up in bed, she stared at the wall closest to where Kenshin was sleeping. Opening her mouth, she whispered through the darkness.

"I promise I'll break this curse for you, Kenshin. I promise."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note: Hey! I told you it wouldn't take as long this time. Here's the 11th chapter of Sojiro and Kenshin. I hope you enjoy it. Surprisingly, I actually kind of know what's going to happen in this fic. It shouldn't be many more chapters. Probably 18 at most, but I doubt it. Anyway, please stick with me as I continue this fic!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Or Seta Sojiro. Or anyone else in the cast, or even having anything to do with the series, no matter how much I want to, or how much I love Kenshin and Sou-kun.

Chapter 11

"So baldy's been sighted by the Akabeko?" Sano asked, chewing on a fish bone from breakfast. He was sitting at the table, discussing the locations of the men they were hunting. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard to take care of, then. Any clue about this Katashi guy?"

Kenshin shook his head. "This one sent letters to the Aoi-ya and Okina-dono, requesting help from the spy network, but so far there has been no response."

"So he's seemed to have run away, then?" Sojiro asked, watching Kenshin. "He's not near Tokyo, or the city you came from?"

"Not to this one's knowledge," Kenshin responded, closing his eyes. "It seems we'll just have to follow the man that attacked you, Sojiro, meaning we'll have to head to town later. This one should probably tell Kaoru-dono." Kenshin stood, lacing his sakabato on and setting Sojiro's katana on the ground before leaving the room.

"You know, Sojiro, it really is funny to see you acting like Kenshin," Sano said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Nani?" Sojiro asked, confused.

"I mean your body, I guess. It's kind of funny to see the dreaded Tenken acting as a housewife. Then again, it's odd to see the dreaded Hitokiri Battosai acting as a housewife, but I've gotten used to that," Sano laughed. Sojiro just smirked and shook his head.

-------

"Yes, that man was here earlier today," Tae responded, giving Kenshin an inquiring look.

"Thanks, Tae-san," Kaoru responded. "Did he say where he was heading? Did you overhear him talking our anything?"

Tae seemed to think for a few moments before responding. "I believe I remember him saying he was going to head over to that other dojo...what's it called? The Maekawa dojo?"

Kaoru's eyes widened as she turned to Kenshin. "Thanks, Tae-san!" she called as she and the rest of the group set off towards the Maekawa dojo, and, hopefully the bald man.

-------

As they neared the dojo, Kenshin heard a shout come from the main building. "What was that?" Sano asked, running along side him.

"This one would bet it's the man we're looking for," Kenshin responded, his eyes set on the dojo gate. "Sojiro! Do you know for sure what this man looks like?"

"Of course," Sojiro responded, just slightly behind the two. "I've fought him twice. It's no problem. I'd recognize him no matter what."

Kenshin nodded and looked back to see if Kaoru and Yahiko were still keeping up with them. Kaoru was sweating, and Yahiko was panting, but they didn't seem to mind as they plunged on. Turning back to the dojo, Kenshin ran through the gate, flinging off his shoes. Sano and Sojiro didn't even bother to leave their shoes behind as they tore in after him, Kaoru and Yahiko close behind.

Skidding to a stop, the new comers surveyed their surroundings. The bald man stood in the middle of the dojo, sword out and pointed at Maekawa. The old man was returning the man's glare fiercely, but he looked over his opponent's shoulder to see Kenshin, Kaoru, and the rest.

"Kaoru-kun!" he shouted, surprised. This caused the bald man to turn, realization glinting in his eyes at the sight of Kenshin and Sojiro.

"So, you came to find me?" the man asked, turning back to Maekawa. "Thought my defeat wasn't enough?"

"Not at all," Kenshin replied, stepping forward. "This one seeks knowledge about one known as Katashi."

The bald man smirked. "You're not going to get that out of me easily. Not without a fight."

Kenshin sighed. "Fine. This one requests a fight." Sojiro shot him an inquiring look. "Do you accept?"

The bald man snickered. "Do you think you can beat me, young man? Last time was merely a test of your friend's strength. It wasn't a real battle. That wasn't even close to my true power."

Kenshin nodded. "This one didn't see the last fight, and therefore would like to fight you. Once more, do you accept?"

The bald man looked at Maekawa. "It seems I have another fight to attend to. We will continue this later. This man seems like he's worth my time."

Maekawa began to retaliate until a few of his students pulled him away to nurse his wounds. The remaining students watched Kenshin and his opponent intently.

"Well, are we going to fight, or are you just going to stand there?" the man asked, raising his blade. Kenshin sighed and drew the sakabato. The man's eyes shone at the sight of it. "Using your friend's blade, then?" he smirked again. "Alright."

The man charged forward, his blade slashing above Kenshin's head, or rather where Kenshin's head had been, for he had shot to the left, smashing the sakabato into the man's side. "This one would rather not have to defeat you horribly."

The man snarled. "Why you!" he yelled, slashing at Kenshin with the katana, only to no avail. Kenshin flipped over his head, landing behind him. The man whirled, whipping the katana through the air. Kenshin dodged it easily and jumped high into the air. Many of Maekawa's students gasped as Kenshin performed the Ryutsiusen, slamming the man into the ground.

Kenshin landed lightly, turning to the man. He seemed to be barely holding on to consciousness. "Now tell this one about Katashi."

"O-ok," the man replied. "K-Katashi is my-"

"Out with it!" Sano yelled, stepping forward.

"Katashi is my brother," the man replied weakly.

"And what is your name?" Sojiro asked, looking down at the man. A slightly mad expression played on his young face.

"I-I am Hiromasu K-Katarou," Katarou replied before losing consciousness.

Kenshin looked down at the man, an alarmed expression on his face. "What is it, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked from where she stood. Kenshin looked quite startled.

"Hiromasu," Yahiko responded. "As in Hiromasu Katarou, Hiromasu Katashi, and Hiromasu-"

"-Isuzu," Sojiro finished, surprise evident in his voice. "Hiromasu Isuzu."

Author's note: So that's the eleventh chapter! I hope all you Isuzu haters are happy . Actually, that's been planned from the beginning. I hope it wasn't too obvious.

I vow I'm going to work hard to get the next chapters to you fast! Please review and let me know what you think. The more reviews I get, the more eager I am to update!

Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: Ok, so it's a short chapter, but I'm fighting writer's block again. (cries). Anyway, thanks to **Eevee-chan** for reviewing. I think you might be one of the only ones who did. Thanks for sticking by. This chapter's dedicated to you. As for everyone else, I hope you review. I'm starting to feel a bit underappreciated because of my lack of reviews. Ok, ok. I promise I'll stop whining now.

Anyway, this chapter's still kind of short, only about 700 words, but I hope you enjoy it just as much. Thank you and please read and review!

Chapter 12

"Where's Isuzu-dono?" Kenshin asked, bursting into the Oguni clinic, Sano, Sojiro, Yahiko, and Kaoru directly behind him. Megumi seemed quite startled to see the flicker of his golden eyes. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"In the same room as last time," Megumi replied, slightly fearful. "I'll show you her room. She should be awake."

_Believe me now, rurouni? I told she was up to something, and look what's happened._

_Shut up, Battosai. Your comments aren't needed._

_Of course._

Upon entering the room, Kenshin beheld Isuzu sitting up on her bed, although her eyes shot to him the moment he entered.

"Sojiro-kun!" she exclaimed, overjoyed that Kenshin had come to see her. "I'm so happy you're here. Look, I'm so sorry for what happened. I guess I..." she trailed off at the sight of Kenshin's golden eyes.

"...lied to us," he finished her sentence. "You guess you lied to us."

"What do you mean?" Isuzu asked, looking from Kenshin to Sojiro to Sano and back to Kenshin. "I didn't lie about anything."

"Oh didn't you?" Kaoru asked, her eyes cold. "You didn't tell us any sort of lie, did you? You didn't tell us you knew _kenjutsu_, did you?"

"I only know some!" Isuzu protested, getting ready to get out of her bed. "Just enough to get by."

"Lies!" Sano yelled, slamming his fist in his hand.

Isuzu's mouth hung open as she surveyed the crowd in front of her. They all returned her gaze with pure hatred, save for Megumi. In Yahiko's case his eyes were narrowed, and his hand crept slowly to his shinai. "I never lied to you! I only know a little _kenjutsu_! I swear!"

"Well, it's apparently enough to take down the master of a dojo and her first student," Kenshin responded. "Who'd you learn it from anyway? Who taught you? Your brothers?" Isuzu stared at him, shocked. "Oh, yes. We know all about Katashi and Katarou, but why don't you tell us a bit more?"

Bolting up off of her bed, Isuzu reached in her robe and pulled out a wakizashi, pinning Kaoru against the wall, the blade against her throat. "No one moves, or I kill her. That means you, Battosai!" she yelled, facing Kenshin.

"How'd she know?" Megumi asked, but no one answered. They all stood, staring at Isuzu.

"That's more like it," she said, a smirk on her face. "Now listen to me."

"Oh no you don't!" Sano yelled, beginning to charge forward, only to be stopped quite abruptly as a drop of blood dribbled down Kaoru's neck.

"Oh yes I do."

Kenshin's eyes flared gold as his right hand twitched, moving toward his sakabato, but the moment Isuzu drew blood from Kaoru, he stopped. "Now look, everyone," Isuzu began, smiling at them all. "I'm going to ask a few things of you, and you're going to obey, alright? If not, the little miss gets killed. Understand?"

"Oh, give me a break!" Kaoru yelled. With a swift movement, she grabbed Isuzu's wrist and slipped to the side, jamming the wakizashi into the wall hard enough that it wouldn't be brought free easily.

"That is enough out of you!" Kaoru yelled, as she drew the bokken from her back and slammed the hilt into Isuzu's stomach. "Just sit and listen, okay?" she asked as the other woman sank to the floor, stunned.

Kaoru nudged Isuzu with her foot before replacing her bokken. "That should do for now."

Kenshin stared at her in awe for a moment, his eyes returning to Sojiro's blue color. "Kaoru-dono!"

"That was amazing!" Yahiko yelled, balling his hands into fists. "When'd you learn to do that?"

Kaoru shrugged. "I guess I just got tired of her. She invades my dojo, hurts my student, defeats me, and now what? Tries to slit my throat. I'm just tired of her." Sojiro stared at Kaoru in awe for a moment before he broke the silence.

"Shouldn't we head back to the dojo before Katashi-san and Katarou-san show up?" he asked, looking from Kaoru to the unconscious Isuzu on the floor.

"Yes," Kenshin responded, before he stepped over Isuzu, past a gaping Megumi and out the door.

Author's note: Ok, so the theme of this chapter was kind of "Girl power." I hope you don't mind. I'm just tired of making Kaoru weak.

Well, please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note: I'm entering the final stretch now. Please be patient, and please stay with me!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or anything else having to do with him. I own Isuzu, Katashi, and Katarou. That's it.

Chapter 13

Once back at the dojo, the group went their different ways, Yahiko to practicing with his shinai, Kaoru to fixing dinner, Sojiro to his room, and Sano and Kenshin to the back porch. Kenshin stared off into the distance, regretting the setting sun.

"Sano?" Kenshin asked the man to his left. "Do you ever regret the end of a day?"

Sano studied Kenshin. He knew exactly what Kenshin was getting at, even though he hadn't said it. "It's ok. We'll break the curse, and you can go back to your normal life."

"But we only have two days left to figure this out. Two days, Sano. It's a little, well, scary," Kenshin admitted, fingering his sakabato.

Sano started, surprised that Kenshin would tell him something like this. Hitokiri Battosai never got scared, and now Kenshin showed that he trusted Sano enough to tell him he was.

"It's fine. We'll get Katashi, Katarou and Isuzu to talk, figure this out, and save you both. And then you can go back to loving Jou-chan, as long as Sojiro doesn't steal her." Sano smirked, getting up. Kenshin whirled around to look at him, but the street fighter was already gone.

_Does Sojiro like Kaoru-dono? _the rurouni asked. _No way._

_Maybe?_

_No, Battosai._

-------

"Kaoru-kun? Do you need any help?" Sojiro asked, watching Kaoru as she sliced up the fish for dinner. "I'm pretty good at cooking."

"Thanks, Sojiro-kun, but I think I've got this covered," Kaoru said, smiling at him. "Why don't you go watch Yahiko, give him a few tips?"

Sojiro nodded and exited the kitchen, headed towards the dojo. Upon entering, he saw Yahiko, drenched in sweat, on all fours, his right hand still grasping his shinai.

"Yahiko!" Sojiro yelled, rushing forward.

"Kenshin!" Yahiko yelled, standing up and staring at Sojiro for a few seconds before he shook his head and corrected himself. "No. Sojiro. What is it?"

"Are you alright?" Sojiro asked, alarmed. "You look horrible."

Yahiko smirked. "Just training. It's hard to do it by yourself." Yahiko's face lit up. "Hey! Will you fight me? Just a three hit match?"

Sojiro looked taken aback. "What?" Never had he expected this child to ask to fight him. As Shishio's right hand man, if any child had ever asked this, they would be dead in about thirty seconds. Maybe more. Sojiro shook his head, clearing it of these thoughts. Not just a kid, Yahiko. Not Shishio's man, but stuck in Kenshin's body.

Yahiko was still talking. "Well, Kenshin never will, so I figured I'd ask you. I'm a really good fighter, you know. I've taken down a whole bunch of people."

"Like Henya-san," Sojiro said, his face clouding over. Never had he wanted to remember his fallen comrades. "Yes, I know."

Yahiko's face fell, and a sympathetic expression took over for his joy. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you were part of the Juppongatana as well."

"Yeah," Sojiro whispered. "Yeah." A smile appeared on his face. "I'll spar with you, Yahiko, but on one condition."

"What?" Yahiko asked, a smile on his face.

"Loser cleans up after dinner."

"You're on!" Yahiko yelled, grabbing a shinai off of the wall and tossing it towards Sojiro, who surprisingly caught it. "But I'm not holding back!"

Sojiro whipped the sword around, testing its weight, and coming to rest in a ready position, the shinai pointing down. "Neither am I!" Sojiro shouted, just before taking off at a run towards the boy. Yahiko was obviously surprised by this burst of speed, but recovered well. Just before Sojiro met up to the boy, he slowed down greatly, giving Yahiko a chance to see him as he struck out.

Yahiko blocked with ease, attempting to fling Sojiro's sword to the side, but Sojiro held on tight. Using the force that Yahiko had used to push Sojiro's shinai, he swung the sword around, slamming it into Yahiko's side.

Yahiko backed off, coughing slightly. "I'm sorry, Yahiko," Sojiro said, trying to help the child. "I forgot this was practice."

Yahiko nodded before assuming his ready position again. "That was a hit. A valid one, too. Let's do this." With a burst of speed, Yahiko advanced forwards, aiming a hit at Sojiro's head. He ducked, avoiding it easily, and swinging his sword up, he stopped the movement of Yahiko's shinai. Yahiko, however, gave him a smug look before shoving his sword around and hitting Sojiro in the side, just as Sojiro had done in the first round. To his surprise, it hurt quite a bit.

Staggering back and holding his side, Sojiro smirked. "You learn quickly, but now I'm not holding back at all," he said lunging at Yahiko, who jumped up to avoid the shinai. Whipping it to the side, Sojiro attempted to hit the boy, Yahiko narrowly dodging it.

Then, Sojiro brought the sword to his side, assuming the stance for Shukuchi. _He's a kid. Remember. This is just practice, _Sojiro's mind reminded him, causing Sojiro to shake his head, clearing the death glare from his eyes. Stepping forward towards a confused Yahiko, Sojiro tore the shinai through the air, performing a perfect, but extremely weak Shukuchi.

Yahiko stumbled back, holding his chest. "Wh-what was that?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"Shukuchi," Sojiro answered, feeling slightly sorry for the kid. "I didn't mean to hit you hard. Are you okay?"

"Perfectly," Yahiko answered, giving him a thumbs up and a smile. _Nothing gets to him, does it? _Sojiro asked himself. His eyes drifted to Yahiko's hand, and he gasped.

Blood was leaking from a cut above Yahiko's chest, presumably from Sojiro's shinai. Rushing forward, Sojiro took a closer look at the wound. There was no way that a shinai should have delivered such a cut with such a weak move.

"Something's wrong," Sojiro said to himself as he examined Yahiko. "Very wrong."

"What?" Yahiko asked, looking down to see the blood. "What happened?" Looking up and at Sojiro, he pointed to his side. "You, too!" Yahiko said, gesturing towards where Sojiro's blood trickled down his side.

It was then that Kaoru walked in the room. One look at Yahiko and Sojiro, and she burst into accusations. "You did this, didn't you?" she asked Sojiro. "Why'd you attack him? What could possibly make you attack a kid?"

"Hey!" Yahiko said, trying, and failing to get Kaoru's attention.

"How could you? He's just learning swords! He's not like Kenshin or anyone else you've fought! How?" Kaoru screamed, grabbing a shinai off of the wall and pointing it towards Sojiro. "HOW?"

"He didn't do anything!" Yahiko shouted back at her, finally getting her to notice him. "We were sparring, and I guess something happened. If you haven't noticed, Sojiro's bleeding, too."

"Oh," Kaoru said, turning to look at Sojiro's side. "How'd this happen?"

Sojiro shrugged, flipping the shinai so he could examine it. His eyes trailed over its length, a shine catching his attention near the end. Running his hand over the tip, he felt something prick his hand. Protruding just slightly from the tip of the shinai, so small that it wasn't detectable unless you knew it was there, was a metal spike. As he scanned the rest of the shinai, he could see hundreds of these little spikes, hidden well among the wood.

"Someone's switched out your shinai for these ones, Kaoru-kun, and they seem to be quite lethal, from what I can tell," Sojiro informed her, offering the shinai handle first to her. "Look closely, and you'll see what I mean."

Kaoru marveled at the spikes for a moment, in which Yahiko did the same with his. "But who switched them?" he asked in Sojiro's direction.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kaoru asked, still looking at the shinai. "It was one of the Hiromasus. I don't know what their grudge is against us, but they seem pretty determined."

"Is it possible they had a bad experience with Hitokiri Battosai?" Yahiko questioned the two. "Maybe one of their relatives was killed and-"

Suddenly, Yahiko collapsed on the ground, sweat pouring from his twitching body. "Yahiko!" Kaoru screamed, dropping the shinai and rushing over to him, followed closely by Sojiro. "How hard did you hit him?" she asked, kneeling by him.

Feeling his forehead, her expression fell. "This isn't good," she said, turning to Sojiro. "Go get Megumi! Those spikes were-"

Kaoru watched as Sojiro's eyes rolled back in his head and as he fell forward, crumpling in a heap much like Yahiko was in.

"-poisoned!" Kaoru finished.

Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's note: I've started school now, so these won't be coming out as fast. I'm sorry! I'll try to crank them out as quickly as my schedule allows. I'm nearly at the end now, so please stick with me, through the twists and turns. Please follow this curse to either its completion or its cure. I've worked so hard on this series, and I can only hope you like it as much as I do, if not better. I appreciate all who have stuck with this as far as it's gone.

Oh, and just so you know, I've got romance in this chapter! Yay romance!

Thank you, and as always, please read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 14

Kenshin knew something was wrong even before Kaoru ran in the room, covered in sweat and babbling incoherently. "Kaoru-dono? What's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head, screaming for Sano to get ice and for Kenshin to get Megumi.

Without another word, the two men obeyed, running in separate directions as fast as their limbs would allow.

Not five minutes later, Kenshin returned with Megumi and Sano with his ice. The three adults burst through the dojo doors, discovering Kaoru kneeling on the ground next to Yahiko and Sojiro. Megumi hurried forward, placing her hand on Yahiko's forehead. "This is bad," was all she could manage before she whipped open her medicine box and began dishing out pastes, herbs, wraps, compresses, and anything else she thought she might need.

Acting quickly, she pressed ice to foreheads, wrists, and necks, attempting to cool her patients down even just a bit. Kenshin watched, helplessly as she mixed some foul-smelling concoction and tipped it down their throats. The moment the putrid liquid touched Sojiro's lips, Kenshin could see a shiver creep over him. Yahiko took it better, but still seemed to writhe once it was in his system.

Throughout this, Megumi instructed the others on where to put ice, when to change bandages, how to soothe the patients, anything she needed.

-------

Many orders and hours later, the two patients rested in the Oguni clinic, their fevers gone down, no longer sweating, and just recovering from their poison. Kenshin, Kaoru, Megumi, and Sano sat close by, exhausted from their fight against time, but glad that their rush had paid off.

Kaoru dozed in her chair, unaccustomed to staying up through the early hours of the morning. She couldn't shake those images from her head, of Sojiro and Yahiko falling, poisoned. Kenshin sat close to her, eyeing her sleeping form, aware that Sano stared at him, obviously waiting for him to make a move.

It was Megumi that broke the silence. "So, have you guys come up with any ideas for the curse?" she asked them, leaning her head against the wall. Kenshin gasped; he had completely forgotten about the curse during the challenge he had just faced.

"No, not yet, Megumi-dono," he responded, still eyeing Kaoru. "This one fears there may be no way to break it."

Sano punched the wall, causing Kenshin to whip around to see him and Kaoru to wake suddenly. "No way to break it?" he demanded of Kenshin. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! That's not like you, Kenshin! You never give up!"

"I agree," said Megumi, standing up and crossing over to Kenshin. "There's always a way, right, Kaoru?"

Kaoru, who had already guessed what they were talking about, turned to Kenshin, fire in her eyes. "Right."

Kenshin looked away from her gaze, unable to return the sheer determination. For once in his life he was scared. Not frightened, but _terrified_ of the task that now faced him. It seemed impossible, even to the man that had once been Hitokiri Battosai.

_What if there is no way? _the rurouni wondered.

_There has to be,_ Battosai stated firmly. _There's always a way._

_This one hopes as such._

Closing his eyes, Kenshin nodded. "A cure will be found," he assured them, smirking despite his own doubts. "We still have a while."

No one pointed out that a while meant a few hours. This was their last day, and if they didn't come up with something soon, Kenshin and Sojiro were gone for good.

Sano stretched in his chair. "Well," he said, placing his hands in his pockets. "I'm gonna go get some food. No use planning if you can't think straight." They others nodded as he left.

Megumi straightened up. "I'll go with that rooster head so he doesn't eat it all before he brings it back. Feel free to look at the diary entry. There has to be something we're missing. The has to be!" She slid open the shoji. "If either one of them wakes up, which I doubt they will, give them some of the medicine sitting on my medicine box," she said, and then she was gone.

This left Kenshin and Kaoru alone.

Kaoru eyed Kenshin from under her bangs, watching him intently. He seemed to be staring off into space for a bit until he felt her gaze upon him. Looking down, he smiled his rurouni grin. "This one will be fine, Kaoru-dono, that one will. Don't you worry."

Kaoru shook her head. "You say that like it's so simple. Kenshin, what if we don't find a cure? I don't think I'll be able to handle it!" Tears began to well up in her eyes, despite her effort to hold them back. "It'll be just like Kyoto all over again, only worse because this time you won't come back!"

Kenshin's smile faded and he placed a finger to her lips to stop her from continuing. "This one is sure it will be fine. This will work out. It is certain. Don't worry about sessha; one's dealt with much worse in the past." He didn't have the heart to tell her this wasn't true. "And if something does happen, Sano will be there for you. He can be trusted, that he can."

Kaoru looked at the floor, away from Kenshin's amethyst gaze. She just couldn't accept that this was what he was thinking, couldn't accept that this was truth.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said softly, turning her face up to look into her eyes. He could smell the salt from her tears, could see the glistening paths they left down her cheeks.

"Yes, Kenshin?" she asked, staring into his mesmerizing eyes. "What is it?"

"If this one only has one more day to live, then one would wish to do what has been on sessha's mind for a while," he replied, choosing his words carefully.

"What's that, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, watching as he looked away. And then, he closed the gap between them, and she lost all other thought.

-------

"You just left them alone on purpose, didn't you, vixen?" Sano asked the woman at his side as they walked back from the Akabeko, food in hand. Megumi merely smiled, her fox ears appearing on her head.

"What would make you think that?" she asked innocently.

Sano chuckled, his eyes lighting up. "I never thought you were that generous. The great kitsune giving her prey freedom?"

Megumi's smile faded. "It may be their last chance, Sano," she said quietly. The light in Sano's eyes went out and he turned to stare at the road before him.

Minutes passed before either of them spoke again. "I just can't believe this," Sano said, kicking a pebble far ahead of him. "It's just not right. Kenshin killed this guy long ago, and now he's gotta still be punished? No rurouni or hitokiri deserves this. No farmer deserves it. No one does."

Megumi nodded, turning to look at the man to her left. "It isn't fair," she said finally. "But it's reality. Reality's not fair, no matter what any scroll or scholar may tell you. It never is."

Sano couldn't find anything to add, and so the rest of the journey passed in a worried silence. There was no way this should have been happening.

Author's note: Chapter 14's end. Please understand that there's a HUGE plot twist coming up that may want many of you to throw this computer across the room, but please also understand that it has a reason and that nothing is over until I write, "End!"

Thanks for reading this, and staying with this all the way through. And now, I will warn you that the end is near, and that there will only be a few chapters left.

Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

Author's note: I'm so sorry for how long this took to get up! I had major writer's block and had to work on other things, as well as homework before it would resolve itself. I can't tell you how many times I pulled up this document, stared at the last line, wrote a few words, deleted them, and started the process over again. I'm relatively happy with what I have up, though.

As for what's to come, beware of the next two chapters, and promise me you'll keep reading. You're going to flame, I guarantee it, but if you keep reading the fic, you'll see just how everything works out.

This chapter is dedicated to **Kaiju29**-san, to whom I apologize profoundly. I'm sorry I made you explode on your computer screen. Just please enjoy the rest!

Lastly, please read, review, and tell me what you want. Telling me to update seems to work as well .

Enjoy!

Chapter 15

The group joked tensely as they neared the dojo. And then, Kaoru's face fell. She ran forward, suddenly completely awake. "No," she whispered.

Flowers and plants were uprooted in the front yard, the gate ajar and hanging sideways on its hinges. The sakura tree was a wreck, branches torn from where they grew. The petals lay upon the ground, the pink color distorted by the mud they had fallen into.

But the worst part was what was hanging on the dojo. Or, rather, what wasn't on the dojo. The Kamiya dojo sign had been torn down and lay cracked in half on the ground.

Kaoru struggled to find words. "Wh-who?" was all she could say. Sano groaned. "Not again!" he said, elbowing his way past her and towards the dojo.

"S-Sano!" Kenshin yelled, running to catch up. Sano burst through the dojo door, already prepared to fight. "Can't you guys just go away?" he asked the three Hiromasus standing before him. Katashi looked up from where he sat polishing his sword.

"Oh, we have guests. You know, it's impolite to enter a dojo without knocking," a smile darted around in his shining eyes.

"Impolite?" Sano roared. "What does that make you?"

Katashi smiled and stood up. "We knocked. No one answered, so we came in." Isuzu giggled, as she started to play with Katashi's black hair. Katarou caught Sano's eye and suppressed a smirk.

That was enough for Sano. With a burst of speed, he ran forward and tried to punch Katashi straight in the face. By this point, Kenshin had entered the dojo as well and now screamed at Sano to stop.

Katashi blocked with his forearm, and then swung the katana around his body, behind his back, and directly at Sano. Sano jumped back and received only a shallow wound.

"Sano!" Kenshin was at his side now, using his sakabato to block a blow from Katashi before it had the chance to connect with Sano. He flung Katashi's sword sideways, making the man stumble forward, his long black hair whipping around his face as he fell.

"Why did you do this?" Kenshin asked, his eyes threatening with gold. "Poisoning Sojiro and Yahiko, destroying the dojo, why?"

Isuzu smirked. "Because of your friend," she replied, her eyes narrowing. "Hitokiri Battosai." Kenshin groaned, and Sano swore. "What did Battosai do to you?" Kenshin asked her furiously.

"He killed our father. When we were quite young, our father was assassinated by your Hitokiri Battosai. And now, we seek revenge for his acts," this was Katarou who was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed.

Sano yelled at them, completely disgusted. "And so you destroy the property of a perfectly innocent dojo master just to get back at him? You've already poisoned Battosai, why attack here?"

"For fun."

Kenshin's eyes flashed gold, and his grip on the sakabato tightened. Rushing forward, he aimed a blow at Katarou who reflected it easily, the ringing of the blades echoing throughout the room. Katarou smirked and threw Kenshin backwards, causing him to hit the wall hard next to where Kaoru and Megumi had just entered.

Kaoru yelped as Kenshin hit the wall beside her, but her surprise quickly turned to concern as she noticed the color of his eyes. Whipping around, she grabbed a bokken from the wall and charged at Isuzu. This time she was ready, and Isuzu tore her wakizashi through the air, just barely missing Kaoru's shoulder.

Megumi looked around the room, noticing that she really had nothing to do but tend to her ally's wounds as they became injured. Her eyes darted from Kenshin and Katarou, fully consumed by the task of fighting each other to Sano and Katashi, Sano pressing the latter against the wall, to Kaoru and Isuzu as the two performed what seemed more of a dance than a fight.

Sighing, she sat down on her medicine box. She opened two compartments, withdrew some wrap and her family's medicine, and waited. She was prepared.

-------

Sojiro twisted and turned in his bed at the clinic. Fevered scenes rushed behind his eyelids as he dreamed of times long gone, of Shishio, and of battles he'd fought. The memories he had suppressed so well had been liberated by the poison, and now he sat, enduring this mental torture.

All he could do was hope Kenshin had found a way to break the curse.

-------

Kaoru ducked and dodged Isuzu's blade, her gaze following its every movement, studying it even as it glinted in the light. Suddenly, she ducked down beneath the arc of the knife, and aimed a blow at Isuzu's left knee.

The other woman cursed and stepped back. Isuzu's blow had been close. Too close. Kaoru noticed a lock of raven hair float down to the ground, and she winced. Maybe she was better matched than she had thought. She quickly looked down at the many cuts she had received already from this fight. This wasn't good. She'd have to finish this quickly.

Turning to face Isuzu, Kaoru closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She dully noted a loud thud as Sano slammed Katashi against the wall behind her. "Look, I don't have time to deal with you," she informed her.

Isuzu just laughed. "You're weaker than you think, little girl."

Kaoru opened her eyes, smiling. "Yes, but I was strong enough to beat you, now wasn't I?" The look on Isuzu's face was priceless. Taking this distraction to her advantage, Kaoru flung forward, her bokken extended in front of her.

Isuzu's eyes glittered, and she opened her mouth, but the laughter died in her throat as Kaoru used the end of her bokken to catapult her into the air like she had once seen a certain Mafia leader do. Flipping quickly, Kaoru fell, slamming her bokken into Isuzu's head and sending her directly into the ground. Hard. The move was reminiscent of Kenshin's main attack.

Isuzu let out a cry as she hit the ground, but was immediately quiet after that. Kaoru was panting now, and she quickly glanced over at Isuzu. She was still breathing. Smiling, Kaoru fell to her knees, using her bokken to support her.

_Now it's up to you, Kenshin._

Author's note: That's chapter 15. Don't worry. I promise the next chapter will be up faster than it took me to get this one up. Please bear with me, and please promise to keep reading!

Read and review, kudasai!


	16. Chapter 16

Author's notes: I'm sorry this took long. (I say that a lot, don't I?) I finally got a day off from school, so I constructed this one and I'm working on the 17th. Earlier I said this would only be about 18 chapters long. I lied. It's probably going to be around twenty. The climax of the whole story's coming up soon, but I've got to give it a satisfactory resolution before I can just set it aside.

As for other things, I've noticed that the lines between the start and end of the chapter and the Author's notes aren't showing up. I'll have to work on that. Sorry.

Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and remember: reviews are an author's best friend! Enjoy!

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Chapter 16

Sano heard Kaoru's fight, heard the screams, the cries, the sickening sounds of breaking bones, but he had no attention to spare. Katashi had proven to be more of a swordsman than he had thought. Sano constantly dodged without finding any chance to get in an attack. _Damn, _he thought to himself. _This guy's gotten better._

Weaving in and out, Sano narrowly avoided three blows, each aimed towards a vital point on his body. "Dance, little boy, dance!" Katashi yelled at the dodging Sano.

This was enough for him. Striking out, Sano risked Katashi taking advantage of his unguarded side in order to sneak in a punch at his chin. The blow connected, sending Katashi flying backwards.

Taking this chance, Sano burst forward, landing on top of Katashi and pummeling what he could reach of the man. Crying out, Katashi brought his sword around and into the back of Sano's right arm, tearing away at flesh and muscle alike. Sano swore and jumped back. He gingerly moved the arm, relieved no nerves had been severed.

Katashi now rose, sporting a swelling eye, a bloody lip, and a few cuts around his face. "That's it!" he yelled. "No more messing around!" He let out a crazed yelled and ran at Sano, slamming him into the wall.

The blow knocked the breath out of him, but Sano was relieved that they hadn't hit Kaoru; the girl stood only about three feet away. Wheezing, Sano swiftly sent his skull forward, relying upon the hard head he was rumored to have. Sano felt as his forehead connected with Katashi's nose, and was only slightly disgusted by the resounding crack that followed.

Katashi howled and stumbled backwards, but Sano caught him by the front of his wrappings. Using his injured right arm to hold the man, Sano backhanded the handle of the katana with his left, forcing it out of Katashi's grip. "Not so tough now, are you?" Sano asked as fear lighted Katashi's eyes.

Drawing back his hand in a fist, Sano plunged it down upon Katashi. Blood sprayed up from his mouth, catching Sano on the cheek, and then Katashi crumpled to the ground.

Letting go, Sano wiped the blood from his face and turned to see just how the other battles were going. His eyes lit across Kenshin as he and Katarou battled feverishly.

Kenshin ducked under the sword that had been swung so close to his head and struck out with his own, just barely nicking Katarou on the shin. Before he could regain his balance, though, Kenshin struck out with the hilt of the sakabato, slamming the other man in the stomach. Katarou let out a sickening sound and stumbled back, but he still managed to stop himself from falling.

The moment he was balanced again, Katarou swept his katana at Kenshin's feet and leapt into the air, the blade aiming directly at Kenshin's head.

Kenshin jumped to avoid the first blow, and concentrated his efforts instead on an aerial battle. Bounding off the wall, Kenshin twirled, attempting to hit Katarou in midair with the blunt side of the sakabato. Katarou merely parried, forcing Kenshin to land. Katarou found the ground as well and ran at him, the katana pointing out in something reminiscent of the Gatotsu.

Kenshin sidestepped, flipping the sakabato and slashing at Katarou's unprotected side. The blade cut into his arm, making blood spatter the ground of the dojo. The moment the blow hit, Kenshin flipped his blade around again as a precaution.

Katarou clenched his teeth as the blood ran down his arm. He stood, hunched over, back to Kenshin. "This is unnecessary, that it is," Kenshin informed Katarou. "This fight has lasted too long. Just give in."

Katarou whirled, fire in his eyes. "Never."

-------

Megumi sat atop her medicine cabinet, watching these battles ensue. Occasionally, she would reach between her legs to open a drawer and pull out medicine, whether it be an ointment or a roll of bandages, according to which wounds were being received at the time.

She watched Kenshin and Katarou fight, watched the bald man attempt yet again to spear Kenshin and she sighed. This was all quite boring. Kenshin would win in a matter of a few more seconds; she could tell by his stance.

Leaning her back against the wall behind her, she saw Kenshin shift stances, from a simple thrust to a Battojutsu stance.

Her gaze drifted to Sano and his bleeding arm. Rolling her eyes, she didn't even need to look to see where the medication for his stupid fighting style was. _When will it end?_

-------

Kenshin shifted fluidly into a Battojutsu stance, sheathing the sakabato without a moment's hesitation or slightest mistake. He noted that Katarou's eyes lit up as he heard the metal scrape into place.

"Battojutsu?" he asked Kenshin, stopping in his tracks. "Against me?"

"It has been used against many of this one's opponents," Kenshin informed him. "Many of which are no longer living. Ever wonder how one got the name Hitokiri Battosai?"

Katarou laughed. "Do not brag to me! I know all about you and your past!"

Kenshin's eyes narrowed dangerously, golden patches flickering across the purple. "Then you'll know that was not bragging, and that this one is ashamed of such a past."

With a quick movement, Kenshin stepped forward, whipping out the sakabato just as Katarou placed his katana out, the flat of the blade facing Kenshin, and his hand behind it to support the block. Kenshin's eyes widened at the unfamiliar form, but he knew it was too late to stop the move. Shifting his weight, Kenshin moved so the sword's path would be towards the side Katarou's sword would have the hardest time blocking.

The two men followed through with their moves. Kaoru stared hard at the two, trying to see the outcome of the match. Her eyes slowly adjusted, and it became clear.

Placing her hands over her mouth, Kaoru tried to stifle a gasp. She couldn't believe what she saw.

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Author's notes: Yes, I know I'm evil, but I can't help it. Cliffhangers are my favorite thing as an author. Anyway, you remember that plot twist I was talking about so much? (How could you forget?) Well, it's in the next chapter. Stay with me. Thanks!

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Author's notes: Yup! Here it is! The plot twist! Oh! Read on! Read on!

I actually wrote the "big" scene sometime around the same time I wrote the ninth chapter. I've had this document for so long, and now you finally get to see it.

Please read, review (I know I'll get sooo many flames!) and Enjoy!

Oh, and please remember: THIS IS NOT THE END!!!

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Chapter 17

Sojiro tossed around in the hospital bed, sweat pouring from his body. Had Megumi been there, she would have surely had some compress for him, something to stop the heat the boiled up from inside him, but the doctor was not there. She was more concerned with another fight.

Sojiro vaguely heard himself screaming, the voice sounding alien to him. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. There was no reason this should have gone wrong, but Sojiro knew, and he accepted his fate.

The cold hand of death clawed at him, pulling him down into the dark void where he would forever reside. It soothed his numb brain, telling him this was how it was meant to be, saying that this was his punishment for living. He feebly agreed, nodding his head as his soul was sucked from his body. It was all so comfortable, so soothing, not the way he had expected to die.

And then Death lost its hold on him, and his drugged mind realized what was going on. And with realization came pain, excruciating pain that took over his whole body. He tried to cry out, tried to protest or to pull away, but Death's grip was too strong and soon he found himself submerged in the cold sensation, seemingly with no way out.

-------

Her eyes shining, Kaoru tried desperately not to cry out. She heard the concerned gasp from Sanosuke and Megumi, but she didn't really register them. She was too preoccupied by the sight before her.

Kenshin's move had hit, and it had hit hard, driving Katarou far back and making him hit the wall, his head making a large cracking noise as it met the wood. This had all been expected, as Kaoru knew Kenshin's power quite well.

What she didn't expect was what had happened to Kenshin. Blood gushed from his side, splattering the floor and creating small puddles. But this was still not what caught Kaoru's attention.

Kenshin had dropped the sakabato, seeming to be having some sort of seizure, his hands twitching uncontrollably as he clutched at nothingness. A cry came from his lips and was quickly followed by some blood that bubbled from his mouth.

Rushing forward, Kaoru tried to see what she could do to help him. She seemed to move towards him in slow motion, seeming never to come close. There was no reason Kenshin would be acting like this. None at all.

And then it hit her.

The curse.

Suddenly, Kenshin crumpled to the ground, his seizure ended and one arm grasping at his chest. "Kenshin!" Kaoru screamed, running to his side, her life now back in full speed. Kenshin clutched at his heart as if wishing to tear it from him. "It's the curse, isn't it, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked through tears. "It's taking effect, isn't it?"

Kenshin seemed incapable of talking, the pain from the curse using up too much of his energy. He managed a shaky nod, trying desperately not to see Kaoru's tears. She placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling his shaking frame. She willed him to live, for this pain to leave him, but knew all the same that it would never help. "You can't die, Kenshin. You just _can't_. Where will I be without you?" Kaoru asked him, choking back a flood of hot tears.

Taking her hand from his shoulder, Kenshin held it to his heart, a tear falling from his face and landing on her skin. Kaoru looked up at him, startled to see the tears in his eyes and the blood dripping from his mouth. "Kenshin. There has to be a way. There _has_ to be!" she said shakily, stroking the scar on his cheek with her other hand. He just shook his head weakly, sending blood splattering to the floor.

"We can't let it end like this, Kenshin!" she insisted. "We just can't. There's so much we never did, so many things I never told you. It can't end like this." Blood splattered on their hands, the warmth of it making Kaoru cry harder. "We _can't_! I promised I would break this curse for you! I promised!" She collapsed against him, sobbing into his gi. "I won't lose you!"

Slowly, Kenshin lifted his other hand and tilted Kaoru's chin up so she was looking him in the eyes. Summoning what little strength he had left, Kenshin struggled to form words. "...K-Kaoru-" he said before coughing up more blood. She began to speak, but a pleading look from him silenced her. "S-sessha...will f-forever...love you."

Kaoru emitted a choked-back sob. "And I you," she managed to whisper to him before her voice deserted her.

Kenshin nodded ever so slightly, a pained and forced smile finding its way to his lips. "Always," he said, placing his bloody hand on her cheek. "Always."

Kaoru nodded, silent tears now streaking down her face. And then Kenshin's eyes drifted shut and his body slumped forward, Kaoru catching him and holding him in her lap, tears falling onto his face, frozen in a rurouni smile forevermore.

Looking down at him, Kaoru's brain wouldn't accept his passing. It wouldn't let her believe that his eyes would never open again. She bent down, placing a kiss on Kenshin's mouth, unaware of the blood that clung to her. "Always," she whispered, stroking his hair before she broke down completely.

-------

Megumi had run forward along with Kaoru, and now she stared at the scene before her, transfixed. It was impossible. It was completely impossible! There was no way this was actually happening. Unable to look at the corpse, she turned, her eyes falling upon Sano.

He was staring at the two of them, watching as Kaoru sobbed over the body of her love. He seemed so very calm, almost hypnotized. Megumi could only watch him for a few seconds before her mind accepted this tragedy. Biting her lip, she felt the flood of tears begin to find an outlet, and she could only focus on not sobbing loudly.

She stared at the ground as her tears hit, and watched as they mixed with Kenshin's blood, trying desperately not to think of the job that now had been set upon her. For the first time, she wished she had never decided to become a doctor. She wished there was someone else to do the preparation of the body, but she knew her wishes were in vain.

Keeping her eyes down, Megumi sobbed away her troubles next to Kaoru, still holding Kenshin's body. The two women let all of their guard down, then, and all of their anguish came out.

This was enough to distract them from the silent tears that flowed slowly down Sano face.

They had taken on the curse...

...and the curse had won.

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Author's notes: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THIS FIC! I STILL HAVE MUCH MORE IN STORE! I know some of you will leave after having read that, but I urge you not to. There is still much more to this twist! Please just read until I'm done! I'm almost there, I promise! Besides, why waste reading seventeen chapters if you're not going to finish the fic? PLEASE STAY!

And yes, I know I'll have about fifteen flamers. I'm ready. In fact, I encourage you to take out any emotions you may feel about this on me. Just let me know the extent of your fury. All I ask in return is that you follow this fic to its completion.

Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Author's note: I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY! I didn't know it would take this long to update! I got caught up in school, in band, in role playing, in my boyfriend...(.) I'm SOOO sorry! Please don't hate me! I promise not to let that happen again!

And also, it's not all my fault. The submission pages wouldn't upload this! It took me like eighteen tries to get this up!

And now I blame you guys! (.) If you had kept yelling at me to update, I would have! Next time there's a lull, PLEASE review or e-mail me and tell me to update. I won't forget then.

Well, here it is. Finally.

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Chapter 18

Kenshin felt himself floating through darkness, the darkness that was death. He sighed, wiping tears from his eyes. He'd never see Kaoru again. This thought brought another wave of tears, and he didn't even bother to try and stop himself this time. She was gone, or rather, he was gone, forever.

"Himura-san?"Kenshin looked up to see Sojiro before him, this time in his rightful body. "I guess this is the end, isn't it?"he asked, and Kenshin nodded. "Did she ever say she loved you?" Sojiro asked, not needing to specify.

Kenshin nodded once more. Unable to speak of Kaoru, he changed the subject. "It seems Shishio has beaten us," he managed to say through the barrage of tears that threatened to fall again.

"He always wins, doesn't he?" Sojiro asked, a sad note in his voice. "Always."

"No one always wins," Kenshin replied, attempting to make his way over to the younger man. He realized he couldn't direct his path, and gave up. "Everyone's defeated eventually."

Suddenly, a light seemed to engulf them, and Kenshin's feet hit solid ground. Opening the eyes he hadn't noticed he'd closed, Kenshin looked around and nearly vomited.

Bones. Hills and hills of bones. Everywhere.

Eternal carnage.

Kenshin shivered, dropping to one knee. "So this is the Hitokiri's hell," he whispered to himself, not caring if Sojiro heard. "This is the fate that awaits us all."

"And so it is." Kenshin looked up to see Shishio standing before him. Couldn't this man ever leave him alone? "This is the sentence you face the moment you pick up the blade to kill another man," Shishio informed him, waving his hand through the air. "And really, I don't find it so bad." He turned to look at Kenshin and Sojiro, the smirk he's worn during battle back on his lips. "I find it rather pleasant."

"Then you are hopeless." This wasn't Kenshin, but Sojiro. Kenshin looked up to see the young man's face, and saw that it was set in a determined expression. "Doesn't it occur to you what your killing brought upon the families that lost their loved ones? Didn't you feel that at all when Yumi-san died before you? Didn't you notice the pain that seemed to well up in your chest?" Sojiro advanced upon his former sensei, their faces mere inches apart.

Kenshin watched the exchange with interest. It seemed Sojiro had left all of his sweet self behind in life. Now, he acted like a man Kenshin had once known, like one who knew what the truth was. Sojiro reminded Kenshin of Battosai, of himself.

Shishio smirked in his student's face. "Of course, Sojiro. I'm not heartless. I just find other's pain...enjoyable."

Sojiro nearly screamed, grabbing Shishio by the shoulders. "Didn't they say that in death, one gains all the knowledge there is?" he demanded at the top of his lungs. "Didn't they once say that the deceased held all the answers?" He shoved Shishio back. "_You know nothing!_ "

Shishio recovered quickly, fire jumping into his eyes. "I tire of you," he said coldly to Sojiro. "I tire of your pointless lectures. You're going to be here with me, and you're going to have to learn to be happy with it."

"NO!" Sojiro screamed. "I knew happiness in life! I knew it when I first trained under you, then when I was with Yumi-san, then after you were gone, and then when I was with Himura-san and his friends. And what happened to all those times? You took them away! You made them worse!" Sojiro tried to run at his ex sensei, but Kenshin grabbed him by the arm.

"Sojiro," he said to the boy. "This one understands what it's like to be your age. One knows what it's like to want happiness, and sessha knows what it's like to leave loved ones behind, to watch them die, even at your hand. But you can_not_ dwell on this for the rest of eternity."

Sojiro fell quiet, his face down, making it impossible to read his expression. And then he raised it again, his familiar smile back in place. "You're right, Himura-san," he said, sounding like he had before Shishio's death. "I can't dwell on pointless things."

He whipped around and punched Shishio hard in the face, making the older man stagger backwards.

"I feel better now." Kenshin just looked at Sojiro in amazement. And then, a light filled his eyes, and he knew no more.

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Author's note: Okay, I'm almost done with chapter 19, and then there's probably only one or two left! Yay! Please review and let me know what you think!


	19. Chapter 19

Author's note: And here it is. The final chapter. I hope you guys appreciate it, and all the work I've put in to writing this.

Well, that's all I can think of! Please read, review, and ENJOY!

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Chapter 19

Kaoru stared at the man in her arms, not believing the truth. Falling forward, she pressed her face against his bloody chest, crying harder than she ever had before. He was gone. He was truly gone, never to return.

Never.

She sobbed into his chest, and as she wept, she realized that this meant Sojiro was gone as well. The curse had taken them both in a matter of moments. In those short seconds, the two of them had slipped through her fingers. And now her tears fell for Sojiro as well, the boy that would never smile again.

"-ru." Kaoru just barely heard the voice, but she refused to look up to see who spoke. They called her again, but she refused to listen to them, to allow them to tear her from her mourning.

And then the voice broke through her barrier, and she realized just who it was coming from. Not believing her ears, she pulled away from Kenshin just enough to look at his face.

His lips were parted, his eyes open. "Kaoru," he said again, and this time, Kaoru heard him load and clear. "KENSHIN!" she yelled, crushing him in a hug. She didn't care about the rest of the words that spewed from his mouth. She'd even forgotten about her own injuries. All she knew was that Kenshin was alive, and her life was perfect.

"Kaoru!" he pushed her away, just enough to look into her eyes. Kaoru didn't wait. With that, she shoved herself into him, kissing him full on the mouth, her tongue slipping in between his surprised lips. She vaguely noted Megumi gasping in the background as she realized that Kenshin was awake. She didn't care about anything else accept for the taste of Kenshin in her mouth, the feeling of her body pressing into his...

"Kaoru-dono!" Kaoru's eyes opened, and she turned to look at who was addressing her. It couldn't be. But it was.

Himura Kenshin stood in the doorway to the dojo, dressed in his magenta kimono and white hakama, his orange hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Kaoru immediately felt ridiculously stupid. It occurred to her then. "The curse is gone!" She dropped Sojiro, who she had thought was Kenshin, and ran over to jump into the real Kenshin's arms, glad he was back in his familiar body.

"But how?" she asked after a few moments, looking around the room at Sanosuke, Megumi, and Sojiro. She had just noticed they were all there still. "How did that happen?"

Sojiro smiled, getting up off of the ground. "I can only guess, but the curse was cast out of hatred, right?" Everyone was staring at him now, as he dusted himself off. "Because it was cast of pure hatred, it was broken out of pure love. You said you loved him, Kaoru-san, and you meant it. I guess it broke Shishio-san's curse."

Kaoru nodded, not sure if she should cry or yell for joy. She settled herself by hugging Kenshin again. "I'm just so glad you're back!" she said to both him and Sojiro. "_So _glad!"

Sano snickered. "Talk about your near death experiences," he joked. "You two nearly scared me to death!" Megumi pushed him playfully. "You two made this man cry," she said, flicking Sano's chin. It seemed the incident had made everyone closer. "I just feel bad for Yahiko. He missed it all."

Sojiro's head shot up. "Yahiko?" he asked. "How is he?" He then noticed the three Hiromasus lying on the ground. "What happened?" he said, shocked.

Kenshin laughed. "Yahiko is fine, and he'll be up soon. As for what happened here, this one will tell you later, Sojiro. For now, let's just clean up."

"Forget that!" Megumi yelled. "Dinner for you all at the Akabeko. All on me!" At this, Sano's eyes lit up, and the rest of the group laughed.

-------

The Black Hitokiri's Revenge:

THE END

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Author's note: So that's how it ends! Please, please, _please_ tell me what you think! I don't want to have to take a break from writing again. I really hope you guys liked it, and I REALLY hope you guys check some other fics of mine out.

Please review!

This is Saja Natalia, signing out!


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